Civilian Soldier
by Pixiekatt
Summary: Piper Lindley escapes after being held captive by the Decepticons. Finally free again, the only thing she wants is to go home and have the happy civilian life that she was almost denied. However, when she finds herself in the custody of the Autobots and her own government, Piper will have to decide what it's worth to forget the past and be the girl she once was, if she even can.
1. The Escape

"Piper Lindley, after being held captive by the Decepticons, escapes with her life. Finally free again, the only thing she wants to do is to go home and have the happy civilian life that she was almost denied. However, when she finds herself in the custody of the Autobots and her own government, Piper will have to decide what it's worth to forget the past and try to be the girl she once was, if she even can." Slight SidesXOC, M for language, slight AU.

 **Hello! This is my first ever Transformers Fic. I've been in love with the series since I was a kid, and I'm so thrilled to be writing this! Please let me know how you like the beginning of my story-there is more to come! No Autobot action in this chapter, but it'll happen eventually. Also, I don't own the series or any of the characters-'cept the OC's, o'course. Enjoy!**

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Piper crouched low to the ground, her shoulder pressed against a boulder as she heard the sirens echoing through the night air. The sound was shrill, and seemed to be stressing the importance of their capture even to Piper's ears. Her eyes darted quickly over the frightened faces around her, the rag-tag team of men, women and children who had managed to escape the base with her. Their expressions were illuminated briefly by a light that swept over the surface of the boulder they hid beneath, and it was clear that it was now or never.

As soon as the light had passed them, Piper shifted the load she carried on her shoulder and signaled to the group. They darted forward into an open stretch of moor, parting through the expanse of tall grass that lay between them and the shadowy silhouette of what Piper knew to be a dense forest of trees beyond. _It looked closer from the base,_ Piper thought, her lungs already beginning to burn.

By now, they could all hear the engines turning in the distance behind them, snarling angrily as the Decepticon soldiers began organizing their search. It seemed that they had not discovered exactly which way the humans had fled, however, and were fanning out in every direction. Despite this stroke of good luck that she had been counting on for their escape, Piper knew that it was still much too early to celebrate. Even one of those monsters could easily take her exhausted, terrified group and turn them to ash before they could put up a fight.

Under the sound of the single roaring engine that seemed to grow ever louder behind them, she could just make out the gasps and clumsy steps of the group around her as they trampled through the dark over frosted, uneven earth. Even she could feel herself beginning to grow weary as each step she took became heavier than the last, the load on her shoulder slowing her even more. _Just a little further,_ she thought desperately, fear driving her legs forward even as her body seemed ready to drop.

The thick, twisted growth of trees ahead had just come into clarity when the area around her was bathed in light. The headlights of a Decepticon's alt form had broken through the wall of tall grass, revealing their forms to him. _No!_ She thought, panic-stricken. _I won't go back there, I'm not going back…!—_ and then a loud bang shook her bones, and a woman known as Sharen fell not far off. The little girl who had been running ahead of her paused to look back, and Piper grasped her arm and yanked her forward, continuing their sprint. The girl cried out in protest, and Piper vaguely wondered if the woman had been her mother, or simply someone who had looked after her while they were in captivity. Either way, nothing could be done for her now.

The area darkened for a few moments, and the little girl, Katie, struggled briefly until light once again fell upon them and another shot rang out. A man fell this time—Al, his name was—and to the horror of the others, he began to wail. She did not need to tell the rest to keep running, however. All of this had been discussed beforehand.

The sickening sound of Al's increasingly terrified and agonized shouts would have chilled Piper to the bone had she not already been freezing. She had known Al—they had been companions, and had led this plan into motion together. She knew that the echoes of his screams would remain in her head and in her nightmares, with so many others. But she could only continue forward, still gripping Katie's small hand, leading her desperate, horrified team to the trees. Luckily, there had been no sound from Sharen.

Piper cursed as the earth beneath her feet seemed to give with each step, the frozen sludge sucking at her shoes and sliding from beneath her soles, giving her very little traction. Several times she had to support Katie from falling and drag her forwards as well. However, to their luck, the terrain seemed to be causing the Decepticon behind them just as much trouble. Not only that, Piper realized, but he seemed to fall behind slightly at each attempt to shoot at them, the light fading and then reappearing behind them with every fire of his weapon.

As the trees that held their sanctuary neared, Piper began to feel hope in her stomach. Crossing the moor had been the final and most dangerous step of her escape plan—and it was almost over. _Perhaps a hundred yards more—_ she thought. _Just a football field's distance, and—_ and then her wristwatch began to chirp. At first, Piper did not hear it. She charged forward in the fading headlights of their pursuer as the _whoosh_ of another attack shot close overhead, Katie's hand clutching tightly at her own. The chirping continued, and for a moment its presence confused her. When the sound finally registered in her ears, a new wave of dread washed over her. She took her eyes away from the harsh terrain underfoot momentarily to scan the skyline. _Not yet,_ she prayed. _Just a little bit longer—_

And then, two things happened simultaneously. She heard the unmistakable sound of a jet engine as it appeared over the tops of the trees, hovering there against the horizon, and Piper, who was staring upwards, tripped and fell—bringing Katie down with her into a wet, freezing puddle of sludge. As gunfire flew from overhead, Piper realized that this was likely the right move. She quickly began to squirm about, sinking further into the hole and gathering it onto her face and hair. Piper tried to yell at the others to go down, but all that came out was a winded croak. Katie pressed close to Piper as the jet rained fire down on the moor. As Piper began shoveling mud onto the smaller girl in an attempt to camouflage her, the sound of terrified screams could be heard even over the jet wind that howled in her ears.

As she heard her companions dying around her, the most horrible sound her heart could imagine, Piper felt the hope in her heart die to be replaced by sorrow and fear and guilt. They hadn't made it to the trees before Starscream had returned from patrol. _I gave everyone false hope,_ she thought despairingly.

The shrieks of her companions continued to ring out all around them even though she could not see them above the grass from her position in the mud. She wondered vaguely if _any_ of them had made it to the forest. Wondered if it was all for nothing, if she had just lead them all to their death. _But we were so close,_ she thought despairingly, _so fucking close._

Piper clenched her teeth, trying to control her thoughts as waves of fear and guilt and self-pity continued to wash over her. Glancing at Katie, the little girl was lying on her stomach, shoulder-deep in mud and staring straight ahead. Piper squeezed her hand, and Katie looked at her, a glazed look of fear and shock over her features. Neither of them could say a word, even as the attack ceased. Piper placed her forehead on her hands above the surface of the watery mud hole, and together they lay in silence as the jet neared their location.

Ignoring the freeze that had reformed over the top of the slush and was beginning to form over them as well, they lay in complete stillness, petrified from the fear and perhaps the cold. The jet was slowly moving forward, scanning the moor, no doubt looking for any more signs of life to snuff out. _Please don't notice us, don't notice us, don't notice…_ she chanted in her head like a mantra. Piper held her breath as it passed over them, and Katie was gripping her hand almost painfully under the surface of the slush. She wasn't sure how long they remained in that position, but they did not attempt to move until the world around them had silenced completely. As Piper began to sit up from her lying position, the thin layer of ice and frozen muck on her body crackled. For a few more moments, she waited and listened. When there was still no sign of Decepticon activity, a small spark of hope ran through her painfully frost-bitten limbs. _Perhaps we weren't seen...?_

Too frightened to stand, the duo crawled painfully slowly toward the trees, attempting to disturb the grass as little as possible as they went. The load on Piper's shoulder dragged periodically, the scraping noise loud in her ears, and her progress halted each time it happened in fear that she had been heard. Katie was now visibly shivering, and the occasional and unintentional chatter of her teeth made Piper wince. At one point, Piper's hand came down upon something soft, and she quickly recoiled from it. Squinting her eyes, she realized in horror that it was a hand – the hand of a human body that was lying next to Piper. Averting her eyes even in the dark, she continued crawling.

After what seemed like hours, they had at last reached the threshold where the forest met the moor. Crawling safely under the canopy of leaves, Piper stood, helping Katie up after her. She could not believe that they were the only two who had made it. All of the others, the children…their faces flashed through her mind momentarily. The crushing weight of her apparent situation was something she could not afford to process at that moment, however—not if she wanted to survive. For her sake and for Katie's, Piper knew she needed to keep her head and decide what to do from here. She and Al's escape plan had only extended as far as the forest. She had even told the other prisoners that whatever came after the forest, assuming they made it that far, would have to be improvised.

The two of them wandered into the trees, hand in hand. It was a twisted, dense wood—the trees were probably ancient. This was why it was perfect. The Decepticons would not be able to easily see them from above or go in after them at any speed above a crawl. As humans, this was their advantage—why her escape plan hand ended up here.

Piper had only just begun to search for a place to rest when, in the dim light of approaching dawn, she noticed something on the forest floor. Among the frosted pine needles was a fresh footprint—a human footprint. Katie, wide-eyed, glanced up at Piper, and Piper nodded, trying to control her emotions. Following the prints as far as they could, they ended abruptly on the gravelly shore of a river. Scanning the area around her, she could just make out the trees around them, but could not see any sign of other humans.

Katie tugged on Piper's hand, and she glanced down at her. "Should we call?" Katie asked in a whisper. Piper considered this for a moment, her anxiety no less than Katie's. However, it became unnecessary when Piper heard a harsh whisper to her left.

"Over here!" came the voice. Katie and Piper's heads turned sharply to see a small group of three people squatting huddled together under a makeshift shelter. They were holding opened, probably cold cans of food, but it did not seem like they were eating them. Standing near them was a man, the one who had called out to them. Although the man seemed happy to see the pair, his eyes were dull and filled with grief. The three under the tree—Piper identified as two men and a woman—held similar expressions. But when the woman's eyes fell onto Katie, she seemed to become more alert. Recognition must have dawned on Katie, and the girl ran to her, quickly becoming wrapped in the woman's outstretched arms.

Feeling like her heart was welling up in her throat, the relief that things had not gone as badly as she had previously thought washing over her. But it did not last. Initially, she had hoped for more success—she had hoped for much more than this. And now, looking at them, she wondered if they could manage to survive out here. The nights were cold, but they couldn't afford to build a fire. They had only been thinking about escape, but they were not prepared to survive this wilderness.

"Are there any others?" Piper whispered. The three still under the shelter did not respond, as if they had not heard her, the woman still holding Katie and stroking her hair. But the man shook his head.

"Didn't make it," he said simply, his face a mask of pain. Piper recognized him as one of the people who had been in captivity for a long time, around four months if she could guess. He probably knew as many of the people who had died as she did. Piper felt guilt gnaw at her stomach. They had left the Decepticon base with 26 people total. When they hid at the boulder, there had been 17 remaining. Of those only the 6 of them had made it to the forest, made it to "freedom".

"We've got to get out of these mountains," Piper said suddenly, clearing her throat. Right now, she reasoned that it was most important that she put her energy into surviving the next leg of the journey. For these last 6 prisoners, for Al, and for herself. _After all, I have the rest of my life to relive the horror of today,_ she thought sardonically.

The man simply nodded, and began to open another can of food.

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 **Hello all! There is the first chapter, more to come. I may go back and make some changes. I know that despite the length there wasn't a whole lot of information given, but for now I'm focused more on Piper's struggle to escape. She'll have plenty of time to reflect later on, plenty of opportunities to reveal (slowly) everything that's occurred. But for the moment, we are both living in the 'now' with this first part, just launching right into it ;)**

 **I've looked into plenty of "lore" at this point, through wiki mostly. It details a lot of events that happen in the comics and other versions of the Transformers universe, etc. that I've never seen before (I've watched all of Armada, some of Cybertron, some of...that one 3Dish one that's on Netflix, and all of Bayverse). All the locations I'm using/going to use are true to the lore, along with all of the references to Cybertron wildlife and terminology (except maybe the curse words...I haven't looked them up, but I'm relying on the knowledge of other Transformer FF writers who have taught me that the bots use terms like "slag" and "frag" and that's a thing). However, not everything I include will be consistent with any one universe...sorry. Bits and pieces my friends, I'm making my own universe with only the best parts :)**

 **As for the other characters...I don't intend on making them important to this story in any way. What that means is none of them are going to be major characters, or at least it isn't currently in the plan. That includes little Katie. Sorry if you liked them :/ Somehow, writing children is terribly difficult for me! Let me know if any part (of anything, really) seems unrealistic or takes away from the story at all.**

 **Lastly, thank you all so much for reading, and any reviews! I have enough finished to upload the next 2 or 3 chapters, and they should be long...at least, they FEEL long when I write them. Sometimes I look back at a few hours' work and think, "That's it?!" Hahaha but really. I'm trying to keep writing while I have my momentum going on this story.** **It's been almost 5 years since I've made an entry on the only other FF I've written.** ಠ益ಠ Oh shit son.

 **Anyway, here's hoping you guys have a wonderful week, be it school or work or whatever else :)**

 **-PK**


	2. The Weight of Responsibility

**This is the second chapter. So, I _did_ end up going through and changing this chapter-pretty significantly, actually-and I'm much more pleased with the flow of things now than I was before. However, none of the changes effect the main story, so if you've already read this chapter before now, don't worry about missing anything too significant. I just added some more details about their journey and how they've been surviving, along with a few more of Piper's thoughts on things. I also smoothed a few encounters out so they seemed more believable. I cringe less when I read it, anyway! Anyway, enjoy! P.S. A note to my first reviewer at the bottom.**

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Just as cold as the night had been, the daytime was equally hot. For this, everyone was thankful.

Through what remained of the night, the group had been unable to sleep—fearing that every noise of the forest might be a Decepticon soldier about to reveal himself. It wasn't until the sun was seen above the horizon and warmth began to creep over the forest floor that they drifted off, huddled against one another under the shelter of pine branches. When the sun was high and the weather became hot, they started to move again, and Piper removed her sweater which was still covered in clots of dried earth. After a night of shivering in restless sleep in the damp garment that never dried, she glared passively at the crusted, muddy stains. _Figures,_ she thought.

Glancing back at their make-shift shelter where the others were still gathered, she caught their eyes momentarily watching her. Quickly diverting her gaze, Piper felt a moment of discomfort as she wondered if it was animosity she had seen in their eyes, blame for their current situation. But no _,_ it was not an issue she could think about for the time being. _We're all on the same side. I can't dwell and worry about whether or not I'm liked._ Steeling her thoughts, she approached the group and began to speak. They had followed her and Al's plan this far—now she felt the weight of responsibility fall on her shoulders heavily.

"It's time to move," she started, addressing the five sets of eyes now locked on her. "It's not safe here, and the Decepticons are still after us. We need to cover as much ground as we can while it's still light out." She paused as a voiced piped up.

"Where will we go? We don't even know where we are," the one woman – Catherine was her name – said tiredly. Piper considered her for a moment, and decided on the only course of action that seemed available to them.

"…South," she answered decidedly, looking from the sun to the moss on the trees. "I think it's our best option—opposite from where we came from. Plus," she added, "it's the same direction the river runs, and the ground slopes. I think if we go that way, we can get off of this mountain, maybe find a road…"

The man who she had come to know as Jeffery was nodding his head in approval. He had already begun to pack cans back into his makeshift bag, cans that _they_ had brought the humans periodically to survive on while at the compound. Piper swept her gaze over the rest of the group, who were silently gathering what little they had taken with them. She watched as the other two men spoke quietly while Catherine helped Katie clean dried grime off of her jacket.

Piper had come to learn that the men were Catherine's husband and brother-in-law, and the three of them had been captured together hardly a week before. Upon hearing this, Piper had felt astonished that, not two, but three related persons had managed to make it out together. In the compound, lives were added and lost so quickly that most all of the captives were made up of singular individuals who had lost any tie they might have had not long after entering the base. And even if they did outlive their ties, the prisoners who were left didn't usually last long—made to work, die and quickly be replaced. Piper suspected that this was done on purpose, to break morale and unity amongst the prisoners and lower the possibility of a planned escape. However, Piper and Al were rare exceptions who had been deemed "useful" by the Decepticons. They were seen as "veterans" of the captives at the base, the only two who had lived in captivity longer than eight months as far as they knew. However, the Decepticons kept a close watch on them, and they were rarely allowed to interact with the other prisoners.

As the weary group picked carefully down the gradual slope, Piper forced herself to remain alert. They stayed near the river, never too far away that they couldn't hear the rushing of the water as it passed them, and always remaining under the canopy of tree branches. As far as she could tell, this land had been untouched by humans for a very long time. Even if there had been a beaten trail, she decided early on that it would not have been a wise decision to use it if they planned to avoid being tracked. She led the group downwards through twisted patches of trees and over boulders, trying to disturb as little of the underbrush as possible as they moved almost painfully slowly.

As the sun sank low in the sky, they descended down into a steep valley between two mountains, their path narrowing as the river to their left swerved close to the mountainside on their right. The jagged cliff side cast its' long shadow over the tattered travelers, and Piper was just beginning to feel that they could go no further when they heard it. The group froze as the sound they had all been dreading registered in their ears—the sound of a nearing jet engine. Whipping her head around, Piper looked for any place they go to hide themselves. "There!" whispered Catherine furiously, her finger pointing to the cliff face. Piper's eyes searched over the dark, craggy surface and soon found what Catherine had been pointing at. In the side of the mountain was what appeared to be the entrance to a narrow cave.

None of them asked questions as they ran towards it. As they neared, Piper could see that it was a yard or so up from the ground. They would have to climb a bit to the entrance—which was not a problem, except that it meant going single-file and would take more time than Piper was comfortable using. The jet engine was becoming louder by the second, the rock face making the echoes resonate as if it were already upon them. Climbing furiously, Piper checked over her shoulder to make sure that the others were following. Upon reaching the top, she turned and helped the others up behind her, one at a time, until they had all made it through the entrance of the opening. Piper followed, squeezing into the cave – which was more similar to a steep hole in the rock face – and clambering down into its depths behind them. The passage widened only slightly after the entrance, and the bag on Piper's shoulder snagged on the rough surface of the walls as she passed through, impeding her progress as she followed along behind the rest. There were stalagmites and stalactites of varying sizes in the deepest part, and the group wedged themselves in among them. There, they waited in terrified silence.

The jet could still be heard above, its noise echoing through the cave for what seemed like an eternity. After a bit, a voice barely above a whisper asked, "What if it's not _them_?"

Piper recognized it as Catherine's brother-in-law, Jason. However, Piper just shook her head before realizing that the others could not see her. She had been at the compound long enough to know it was a Decepticon on their tail.

"It's them," she stated, "I'm sure."

After that, silence fell upon the group again, and even after the sound of the engine could no longer be heard they remained where they were. Even without Starscream's help, it had been an exhausting day.

They slept in the cave that night, huddled together after a quiet dinner of more canned food. As the others slept, Piper lay awake, gazing into the dark in the direction of the cave's entrance. At her side, she could hear breathing and knew it was Catherine, sleeping soundly no doubt with Katie wrapped in her arms. Piper listened to their steady breaths awhile and finally sighed, glad all over again that there had been other survivors. Piper could barely keep herself together at times, and so she was sure she would not be able to give a child the comfort or emotional support they would need.

At some point, Piper found herself drifting into a fitful sleep. Megatron's eyes flashed behind her own as she slept, and she held her bag to her chest as she tried to consciously force the image from her dreams. When morning came at last, Piper woke feeling more exhausted than she had previously.

Poking her head out of the cave entrance, Piper confirmed that the coast was clear, and after a short and meager breakfast they continued their trek towards any potential sign of civilization. For days they continued this way, only hearing the roar of a jet engine once more—and that time, it never appeared above them. It seemed as if the Decepticons had lost their trail, or at least, that was what Piper hoped it meant.

As the 5th day passed since the last time they had heard the sound of pursuit, marking their 8th day of freedom from the Decepticon compound, Piper and the group began to have other concerns. They had been out of food for two days, and there was still no sign of civilization. They had been trying their hand at fishing, risking the vulnerable position it put them in to be near the river, and had been somewhat successful. However, each attempt at fishing put Piper on edge. She did not want to become complacent simply because they had not heard from the Decepticons in a few days. Moreover, what fish they could catch were few and had to be split between them all. In the case of a pursuit, Piper knew the group would not have energy to run far if they couldn't find a place to hide nearby.

Despite her concerns and attempts at covertness, as Piper and the men waded into the river the following day they did not hear jet engine coming until it was almost upon them. Panicked, Piper's eyes darted around wildly, looking for a place to hide. While they had still been following the river, they had traversed into a wide forested area without a cliff face to give them the shelter necessary to fully hide themselves.

The men had begun to scramble towards the bank, and without too much thought, ran forwards into the forest, opposite of the side they had come out from. Piper followed momentarily, until realizing she had left her bag behind on the other side of the river. She paused and weighed her options. They had come out into a small clearing before crossing it to reach the river, and she had left her important possession at the edge of the trees. She would need to go towards the sound of the jet engine, cross the clearing and re-enter the trees to retrieve her bag. At any moment, the body of a jet would appear above her, and she did not want to be in the open when it happened. However, if the worst came to pass, she would need what was in that bag, at any cost.

Making her decision, she turned on her heel and began forging through the shallows toward the side she had come from. As she climbed the bank, she could see the trees violently swaying straight ahead, and knew she was almost out of time. Breaking into a sprint, she ignored the dark silhouette as it rose above the tree line as it had only a few nights before, keeping her eyes trained on the forest edge. However, she was too late, and the sounds of clashing metals hit her ears, and the ground shook as the monster landed hard before her. Without hesitation, she dashed sharply to the side in an attempt at getting around his large form. A servo shot out from the whirling, fractured figure as she ducked past him, narrowly missing her form as she made it to the treeline and scooped up her bag, still running forward.

As she made it into the trees, her eyes suddenly caught the sight of two faces peeking over a boulder at her. Katie and Catherine were staring at her, or what was behind her, with horrified expressions. _They stayed behind when we went out to fish!_ Piper realized suddenly. The others had run ahead, and she had forgotten that they weren't with the rest. And now Piper was leading Starscream to their hiding spot, and they were all in danger.

Suddenly, there was an explosion behind her, and she was knocked to her stomach. Trees splintered and bits of bark rained over her and shot past her, lodging themselves in her exposed skin and nicking her all over. Groaning, she began struggling to her feet, glancing over her shoulder as she went. Starscream had incinerated the forest behind her, leaving nothing but smoldering ashen earth as her form was exposed to him from between the remaining trees once again. Turning back, she could no longer see Catherine and Katie's faces from behind the boulder, and wondered if they had run. But Starscream's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Don't try to flee, fleshling," he sneered, his cannon pointed at her back. "If you stay and be a good girl, I might let your friends get away."

Piper knew better than to believe him. Chances of him letting any of them escape alive were very slim if he had the opportunity to catch them.

She stood rigid, unsure of her chances. Would they be higher if she stayed, or tried to run again? For a moment, she considered it. However, as she was gazing into the forest, she once again saw Catherine's head peek over the boulder and knew they were still hiding there, terrified. Even without the heat of his cannon on her back, promising to be a faster death than her legs could prevent, Piper knew that she could not lead Starscream to her companions' location. Her decision was made. _So then,_ she thought, _the unknown variable_. Swallowing her terror as her eyes stared into Catherine's, she came to a less-than-ideal conclusion. _I'm going to have to try and fight him._

Piper slowly lifted her hand to her shoulder where her bag rested, gripping the material in her fingers. Then at last, she addressed the foul being behind her.

"Okay," she said slowly, trying to keep the sheer magnitude of fear she was feeling from showing on her features as she turned toward the metal monstrosity. "I will stay here." Setting her jaw, she pulling the fabric off of her weapon, letting it fall away.

What Piper held was a long, folded broadsword that snapped to its full length with a jerk. It formed to her, lashing itself to her upper arm, the blade running from a point above her shoulder, bending at the joint of her elbow, extending past a piece where her hand gripped, to few feet lower until it was almost to her kneecap.

"What do you have there, fleshling?" He asked. But the curiosity in his voice quickly turned to suspicion as he observed it further. "No, that wouldn't be—" and before he could finish, Piper darted forward, gripping the handle on her battle blade. Bright orange light, like fire, lit the hilt of her sword as she dashed towards her target. Starscream was momentarily stunned at the sight, and it was to her advantage as she managed to make it to Starscream before he had a chance to respond. She jammed the blade into his ankle, eliciting a loud and ferocious howl from the mech, who kicked wildly to try and dislodge her.

She curled her weapon-bearing arm in front of her to block the blow of his ped as it made contact, holding her blade as if it were a shield. The hilt took most of the blow, no doubt giving Starscream another nasty cut. However, she was still thrown back a few yards and rolled to a stop in the black, scorched dirt.

Quickly scrambling to her feet, she was not given the chance to catch her breath as her eyes met with Starscream's furious red optics as he began to charge toward her. His right servo made a grab for her, but Piper jabbed out with her blade, shearing off a finger tip and making him howl once more and retract his servos. He held them to his chassis and glared at her with a livid, wild expression on his faceplates- but he made no move to use his cannon again.

As enraged as he appeared to be, his apparent reluctance to use the weapon he had threatened her with just moments earlier—or any other ranged weapon that would give him an advantage, for that matter-was starting to make her suspicious. _Is he playing with me?_ She wondered. _It would not be out of character, but…_

"An Energon Sword-?" Starscream said incredulously, leering down at her now. "So that's how you did it, huh. Wait till Megatron hears what his _favorite pet_ has been tinkering with, right under his nose. Or maybe you'd like to tell him yourself…" there was a glint in his glowing red optics as he said it.

The comment hit Piper like a clap of thunder and she suddenly knew what he was plotting. _No,_ she thought, realization dawning on her. _He's not going to kill me. He's been ordered to take me back alive._

Dread sunk into her bones. She had been _prepared_ to die. But she could not go back there now. The kind of torture Megatron would have in store for her, for what she had done…

Starscream was just watching her now, his faceplates stretched into a horrible grin, all signs of the anger from earlier gone. Whatever he was seeing, he was liking, and staring into his face, she could suddenly see what it was. Reflected in his optics was her own trembling form, a mask of petrified fear over her face that suddenly had Piper feeling disgusted, and terribly enraged. _One of us has to die now._ With the decision made, all thought was cleared from her mind as she once again steeled her resolve.

In a fit of rage-induced desperation, Piper cried out and leapt forward, charging between his legs. This response from her was so sudden that it startled him for a moment, and he again was caught off guard. He attempted a grab at her, but was too late. Catching a foot on one of the plates of his calf, she made climbing leaps to his back, where she slashed her blade repeatedly. His arms flailed and reached for her, his clawed fingers clutching and grabbing at the air, but she would not be caught.

She threw her weight forward as she reached his upper back, sinking the Energon Sword into the wiry mesh between the plates of his shoulder blades. Blind with rage in her last-ditch attempt at defeating him and saving herself, Piper had momentarily forgotten Starscream's servos as one managed to get a grip on her leg. With a snarled, guttural howl, Starscream threw her off of him, dislodging her sword from his back and yanking it from her shoulder while sending her flying once more.

This time she was stunned by the impact of her fall, and she tumbled and rolled, bright spots dancing in her eyes as she was finally stopped by a boulder at the edge of the still-standing tree line. Her head hit the stone hard, and for a few moments she was blind, her body paralyzed. When her vision finally returned enough to understand what she was seeing, Starscream was already there, holding his own blade over her. He was venting slightly, and his sword trembled. Electric blue energon was pooling at his feet, and Piper knew that he could collapse at any second. While that didn't help her current situation, it still brought her some measure of satisfaction.

"If you will not be caught," he growled, his voice a low, livid rumble in his chest, "then you will be killed." The red of his optics flickered as he glared down at her.

Even though she had told herself that she was prepared for death, that it no longer frightened her, unarmed and facing death, Piper still felt a tight ball of terror in her stomach as she watched him lift his blade. She had finally made it out, but would not make it home. _I'm so sorry Mom, Dad, Sophie-_

But then there was a sound, and the sword paused above her. Starscream had frozen, his faceplates forming into an expression of disbelief and… _fear?_ She thought wonderingly, and tried to focus on the sound that was quickly growing in per peripheral.

She was not made to wonder long. Within seconds a bright red vehicle had burst through the trees, as if from nowhere, and was already in mid-transformation. The ground shook as it slammed into Starscream, who was thrown to the ground and skidded to a stop against the trees, the red bot still upon him. He stayed down.

Piper, startled and rattled to say the least, scrambled to her hands and knees and crawled over to where her blade lay not far away. She was dizzy and unable to stand, but gripped the handle of her sword and attempted to reattach it to her arm. The sword was unresponsive, however, and so she merely held it clumsily in front of her as it was.

The red bot, who had finished transforming, was now standing over Starscream. He seemed to examine him for a moment before he turned, his optics scanning over where Piper had been lying, and then over the area until they found her. She tensed, raising her useless sword and staring him down. Seemingly unimpressed, he took a step toward her and stared back. What he saw was a young, slender femme – no, woman - holding a strange looking sword at him and attempting to get to her feet. The dark, fibrous matter on her head was unruly and short, with short bolts of it falling over her face and dark, piercing opt— _eyes,_ he remembered. A red fluid was dripping off the side of her helm. Although she was injured and scratched up, scuffed with charred ground and covered in filth, and although she could not seem to stand without swaying, the intensity of her stare gave him pause. Glancing down again at the weapon she was struggling to brandish, his optics narrowed as he gave it a double-take.

Still blinking spots out of her eyes, she sized him up. He was slightly taller than Starscream, she decided, but his features seemed softer - if that could even be said about metal. His optics glowed a bright blue, a color she had never seen before on any bot she had encountered back in the compound. Her eyes found the insignia on his chest, and her half-curiosity immediately became disgust. _Flaunting it so proudly like that, as if it's something to be…_ but then her eyes examined the symbol again, and she suddenly felt that it was different than she remembered. Before she could ponder it further, the bot took a large step toward her, and she scrambled backward.

"Easy, little thing. I won't do anything to you," he said, putting up his servos in mock defeat. "Wouldn't wanna turn out like him, after all," he tried to joke, jerking a thumb at Starscream. Piper did not laugh, moving backwards as slowly as she could while still keeping her blade up. He seemed to notice, however, and took another step toward her.

The scowl that had formed on Piper's face deepened, and she stopped moving. She was unsure of whether or not Catherine and Katie had remained in the trees behind her, but she would not risk revealing them. It was out of the question. However, at the same time, she felt the strength in her arms failing, and knew that if she did not get into the trees soon, she would appear vulnerable out in the open.

"You can put that down," the bot said, pointing at her, "like I told you, I'm not here to hurt you. I sensed a Decepticon signature in the area and came for him," he said, gesturing back at Starscream who was still lying motionless, optics dim. Piper tilted her head up, examining the symbol on his chest again.

"…Who are you?" she asked, finally.

Glancing down at the mark himself, a thought hit him. _Maybe she doesn't know this symbol…?_ Vaguely, the bot wondered if this was a good idea. After all, they weren't really supposed to reveal themselves to normal humans. But, he figured since she had already seen Starscream – _Actually, it looks like she's the one who did the better part of offlining him,_ he noted to himself as he glanced at her sword again. He sent a data report back to base and decided that it was probably fine to introduce himself. He wasn't sure how much she knew of his kind, but she was still holding her obviously Cybertonian weapon towards him, and he thought a trade of information might be in order.

"The designation is Sideswipe. Autobot warrior and the most handsome mech you'll ever meet," he declared proudly, smirking. "So then, who are _you?_ "

 _Autobot!_ She thought, alarm bells suddenly ringing in her head. _Weren't they the Decepticon's enemy? Megatron used to mention them…_

 _"You should consider yourself lucky to be under our care, human. Out there, the Autobots are murdering your kind left and right. They will not stop until your planet belongs to them. Your puny kind would not stand a chance if not for us…"_

Horror coursed through Piper as her eyes warily took took in the bot before her. _Could this monster possibly be worse than the 'cons?_ She felt her body tense, unsure of the situation, trying to remember everything she could about what she had heard of them. But her information had almost solely come from Megatron, whom she had learned was a master of lies and manipulation.

 _"They're conniving and smart, and will stop at nothing to destroy us. All we want is the key to our planet so that we can leave… but they are intent on taking yours instead. Do not believe anything you see or hear from them,"_ Megatron had told her. _"They will try to fool you and pit you against me. But just remember who you belong to…"_

She could not forget his words, but she could not fully trust them either – which was perhaps the only reason she was still standing before the red bot. Well, that and her legs could barely lift her. Piper gripped her dead-weight blade tighter as she suppressed a shiver, and she winced at her own memories. However, she was broken out of her daze by the voice of the bot in front of her. When she hadn't responded or lowered her weapon, he had continued speaking more seriously.

"Well if you won't tell me your designation, you wanna at least tell me where you got _that_?" He nodded his helm at her weapon again, and took another step toward her. She furiously raised it higher, and he looked down at her, his features melting into suspicion. The blade's power source was inactive, and although it was changed to be wielded by a human, he could still tell what it was. It resembled Optimus's Energon Sword uncannily. However, he knew that the Autobots would never have given a human knowledge of their weaponry.

"…you really shouldn't have that," he continued. "Humans aren't supposed to use our technology that way. Why don't you give that to me?" He took another step toward her.

This last move put him too close, and his question was too direct to be anything less than threatening. Bristling, she held her ground, and he reached a servo out with the intention of grabbing her. The sight of his servo, the large, five-fingered human-like appendage that came toward her person, burned into her eyes. The image before her sent her into a frenzy, the sight too familiar, the connotation too unpleasant. _They are **all** monsters, _ she thought madly, making her decision. _It doesn't matter if they are Megatron's enemy._

In a desperate attempt to escape his imminent grasp without drawing him into the forest, she darted forward towards his legs. "Woah!" he flinched, but she hadn't struck him. She didn't have the strength left in her, and instead went full-speed between them, sprinting to the other side of the small, charred clearing and into the trees. Her vision swam and she felt unsteady on her legs, but she continued to run clumsily, branches scratching at her face and pulling at her short hair. The bleeding from her head dripped into her right eye and she felt her heart beat pounding in her skull. She vaguely wondered if she had a concussion.

"Wait!" the red bot, Sideswipe, yelled after her. She could hear the breaking of branches and rustling of trees as he pushed through, giving pursuit. She was somewhat relieved. _I don't think he detected the others,_ she thought, glancing over her shoulder. And suddenly, the ground beneath her feet became flat and solid.

 _A road…!_ She realized, _We've made it…!_ The road had been east of their position, parallel to the route they had been taking south. Had they continued as planned, they might all have missed it. Piper would have cried from happiness at finding it had she not noticed the truck barreling toward her. Many things happened at once then – Piper dove out of the way, the truck's tires screeched as it came to a stop, and Sideswipe burst from the forest, nearly hitting the truck.

The disorientation she was already feeling from her earlier injury combined with her own dizziness from the dive made her feel like she would vomit as she forced her body into a sitting position, prepared to stand again. But suddenly, the door to the truck flew open and a man jumped out. He was wearing a military uniform, had sandy hair and average features, and was probably in his mid-to-late 30s.

"What the hell!?" he yelled, looking sharply up at the red mech.

Sideswipe seemed to snort in indignation as he crossed his arms and said, "Ask _her_ that."

The man's eyes followed Sideswipe's line of sight and landed on Piper. Shifting her position, she looked between them. _Do they know each other?_ She wondered incomprehensibly. _How long was I in captivity? Do people know about these monsters?_

After taking in her filthy and bloodied appearance, the man's stunned gaze went from her to her blade that was lying beside her. She reached out and snatched it up quickly, drawing it close. The man's eyebrows came together.

Seeming to realize her discomfort, however, he crouched down to her level and spoke gently. "Hello there, miss. Do you need some help…?"

She looked back at him like he had grown a second head, staring with as much concentration as she could muster. Her head had stopped bleeding, but it seemed like the injury was still taking its toll on her consciousness. Her eyes bored into his face as if an explanation to this confounding situation would be written there, but before she could respond, there was another voice;

"Optimus says to bring her in," it spoke. Piper could not see the source, but the man glanced at the truck, and she did, too. _Is there someone…?_ But no, the truck was empty. _Then that means_ … The man nodded and looked back at the girl, his face perplexed.

Piper stood again, her vision swimming, confusion muddling her thoughts. She didn't want to stay any longer to try and understand this situation. Abandoning her weapon which she knew she would not be able to carry any longer, she attempted to scramble blindly across the street toward the forest on the other side. Her thoughts sped a mile a minute through the fogginess of her consciousness as she tried to understand why the human was with the truck, which was not actually a truck. From what she had seen, she thought she had known all of the human models of Decepticon pretenders there were. _Maybe he was an Autobot pretender?_

The trees were just before her when she felt the grip of metal fingers around her, knocking the air from her lungs. "No..!" She screeched out hoarsely, scratching and clawing at the servo as her feet left the ground, the earth beneath her growing smaller and smaller as she went up.

"Oh no you don't, squishy. Not this time," Sideswipe said, lifting her to eye level. She stared at him, horrified, enraged, defeated, and clenched her teeth to keep from crying out. He tilted his head to one side as he observed her. She vaguely heard a voice from below say "sorry about this, but we'll need you to come with us" before Sideswipe began to collapse in on himself. There was whirring and clicking all around her as she swayed limply in his grasp, her head lolling as she fought unconsciousness, and then she was let go to fall into a cushioned seat. The last thing she remembered was the top of the car coming together quickly overhead with a metallic _clap,_ and then the world went dark.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I'm having some trouble keeping Sideswipe from being OC. Working on it-let me know what you think! School just started, and I've started looking for a job in earnest now. I'm not completely satisfied with the next chapter yet, but hopefully it won't be too long before I can get it posted :)  
**

 **TO MY GUEST REVIEWER- (Your name makes me laugh, I wonder if you've seen AHS? Heh) Thanks for the review! I'll try very hard to keep up with this story-I still have ideas for it that want to come out! However, reviews like yours always encourage me to make time for writing. Thank you!**


	3. Hazardous Cargo

I DO NOT own any of the Transformers characters, that would be Hasbro. This story is purely fan fiction. I also do not have any claim over the real locations or businesses mentioned in the story.

 **Hello again! Welcome to chapter 3. This one's been in the oven for awhile-I've decided that it's best to do higher quality updates rather than quick updates that I end up wanting to edit to death later. So a lot happens in this chapter, and I want to take a moment to mention that the locations I use are real and can be found on google maps. But there'll be more details on that in the next chapter-this one only mentions the state they're in. If you want to try and figure out where they're coming from/going, be my guest :)**

 **Also, I've begun to form the timeline that this is taking place in, and I will say that it's definitely an AU situation for the most part (as you'll probably notice). It's roughly based after the first movie, but from there it's doubtful that I'll follow any more Bayverse storyline. Sorry!**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading (and reviewing! If you like this, please leave reviews to motivate me to keep going! They definitely fuel me!)**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Megatron's glowing red optics stared down at her, and he made a clicking sound with his vocal processors as if he were scolding a child. "It was easy to track you," he said. "I just thought it might be interesting to watch you run for awhile. After all, as humans would say, 'where's the sport in killing a trapped animal'?" At this he began to laugh, his optics narrowing in smug amusement. Piper shivered, feeling cold and frightened. All around her there was darkness, and all she could see was Megatron sitting on his melted, throne-like seat over her. Just as she remembered him, cords and cables were connected to every part of his form, and he sat motionless with his eyes on her.

"No," she said, "I will not come back to you. I will never serve you again." She was trying for conviction, but her body betrayed her as felt it quake in fear. His amusement quickly faded and he looked down at her with slight irritation.

"Hmm," he pondered. "You have become quite boring indeed. Pity, your company was rather pleasant while it lasted…for a human, anyway. Perhaps I was wrong for favoring you so much. I think you've been spoiled." He finished with the slightest nod, as if he had solved a problem. Suddenly, he reached for her, the chords connected to his servo shifting as he moved, an act she had never seen him capable of in her time at the base. His face broke into a grin, and she shrunk back. She searched for her weapon, or anything that would help her, but could find nothing—and although she tried to run, her legs felt like they were caught in quicksand. Looking down, she could see her feet tangled in the cables that criss-crossed over the floor "Now," he continued, "shall we see how much you can handle before you break? I'm interested to see when you will begin begging to serve me again." He watched her squirm, his grin becoming more twisted as he grabbed her tightly around her torso. She felt the air rush out of her.

"Hey, wake up-" somebody said, but Piper wasn't listening as she struggled to breathe.

"No…no no NO!" She gasped and kicked, panic overtaking her as her arms were pinned by his metal claws. "I can't go back…" she flailed and kicked out in vain once more.

"Hey you, stop that! I said STOP!"

And with that, Piper's eyes shot open. She was breathing heavily and her heart raced, her hands clutching the soft material under her palms. Looking around wildly, she could see nothing—and then her eyes began to adjust.

The entire space was dim and vibrated beneath her. For a moment, she was disoriented. _Where is…?_ But it only took a second for her to remember where she was. "What…" she began aloud, and sat up on her elbows. She was in the back seat of a car – _no,_ she thought, _not a car –_ and through the tinted windows, she could see nothing but a great expanse of land. But that land was passing by very quickly outside, and she knew wherever they were headed, they were headed fast.

"That was painful. What's your deal, you finally online? You're the first squishy who's ever had the privilege of getting a ride from me, so try to behave, don't leak anywhere or—"

"Let me out," she demanded, sitting up fully and trying a door.

"I don't think so, squi—"

"I said let me _out,_ god damn it!" she repeated, yanking the handle so hard she knew that a normal car might have had one less handle.

"Ow, ow— _OW,_ what the _frag_ is your problem?!" Sideswipe swerved, and Piper was thrown to the other side of the car. This gave her the perfect excuse to try the other door.

"Not again!" she said, kicking the door and glass with her heel and screeching, "I am no one's pet, I will die before that happens! I will not be made into a prisoner, into a _slave._ "

"Ow- Primus, no one is gonna make you a slave! We just need you to come with us for a bit. You're not a prisoner!" He responded, trying to make her see reason. But the human was going ballistic inside of his cab, lashing out in every direction.

Despite Sideswipe's best efforts, she did not appear to want to see things his way. "I don't give a damn what you say. You're all the same. You think you can just grab someone up because they're smaller than you and take them captive—" she gave another solid kick to the door. "-Autobot or Decepticon, the names don't matter. You can all go _fuck yourselves!_ " Sideswipe was quickly losing his patience with the femme. With another swerve, she was thrown again, but caught fast when a seat belt wound its way around her and fastened her to the middle seat. From her position she could reach neither of the doors.

Sideswipe was not generally known to have a quick temper. However, comparing him to a _'con_ of all things was something that filled him with great irritation. _How dare she_ , he thought to himself, glaring at the human with distaste although she could not see it. After a brief struggle, she was sitting still with her head tilted down toward her lap, and he could not see her eyes. _I haven't done anything to hurt the femme, but she's acting like I've given her some great offense._

"Now, listen here," he began, keeping his cool. "I am _nothing_ like those slagging Decepticons you're talking about, and I don't appreciate being compared. I don't know what kind of experience you've had with them, but I can guarantee you that the Autobots are as different from them as night and day."

For a time, she did not respond, and Sideswipe remembered her injury and began to worry if she had shut down. He began a scan on her, monitoring her heartbeat and temperature when suddenly she looked up, her expression unreadable as she moved her eyes around his cab. "…Okay," she said finally. "I get it."

Sideswipe was startled by her response, but somewhat pleased that she had seemed to consider what he said. Her heartbeat had not slowed, but then again he figured she was probably under some pretty extreme shock. Hesitantly, he loosened the restraints. When she did not move, he unbuckled the belts and let them fall away.

Almost immediately, she launched herself back at the door, this time taking her elbow to the glass. It was, of course, a meaningless effort—and one likely to cause more damage to her than him. But Sideswipe hated the feel of each vibration that went through him as she struck him from the inside. Caught off guard, he still managed to swerve again, throwing her off-balance and onto her back.

"By the thirteen and _Primus_ femme, have you glitched?!" As Piper struggled to find her balance, he continued to rant. "If I hadn't found you in time, you'd be long since offlined! You should be thanking me! You think a Decepticon would have bothered helping a slagging _human_? You're so fragging lucky that I came after that signature, or else-" Piper froze immediately, his words striking a chord.

" _Lucky,_ you oversized piece of scrap-metal _shit?_ Being picked up by _you?_ That's rich—" she tried scrambling back to the door, but he had once again managed to strap her in.

"What, you disagree? You were out in the middle of fraggin' nowhere, 'con trying to offline you while you were looking half-dead anyway, and we showed up and _rescued your aft._ And here you are, acting like a wild slaarg* all up in my upholstery and treating me like the enemy. Honestly, I thought the femmes of this planet would be more…"

But Piper had stopped listening the moment she had been pinned down again. She seethed in her seat, the futility of her current predicament making her grind her teeth together as she felt her chances of escape dwindling. Trying her best to ignore the asshole currently imprisoning her, she began to seriously assess her situation.

 _Okay, so I've been re-kidnapped,_ she thought to herself. Her brows came together as her mind worked a mile a minute. _But_ _why?_ She wondered. The Autobots couldn't possibly know of her abilities. However, she had revealed enough to _this_ Autobot that she was sure he must have some idea of what had happened to her with the Decepticons. But was that why? _Do they think they have some leverage over the Decepticons by taking me?_ Piper scoffed at the idea. The only reason the 'cons would want her back is to kill her themselves.

Shaking her head as if to clear the disturbing thoughts from her head, she sighed, looking down at her knees and then to her hands, wishing she had her battle blade with her. She remembered Sideswipe asking about it, and vaguely wondered where it was. Gazing out the front of the vehicle to try and see their destination, her view was obstructed by the bot from earlier, the one whose alt mode was a black GMC Topkick.

… _He said someone had told them to bring me in,_ she thought suddenly, her eyes glued to the back of the truck. _Who was it? What was the name he used…? Must be the leader, but…_ she couldn't for the life of her remember the name the mech had said.

Sideswipe had finished his grumbling, and they were now driving in silence. He was still deeply disgruntled by her words, but the current situation suited him just fine. As she wasn't trying to destroy anything or endangering herself anymore, he made his best effort to forget her presence and hoped they could make it to the base uneventfully so that he could expel her from his cab without having to interact with her any further. _Preferably never again,_ he thought sourly. The femme, who had been the first human he had ever initiated contact with, was absolutely infuriating. He and his brother had already agreed that humans were a primitive, unintelligent and rash species. Even the ones they had encountered at the base were, although friendly, often unpredictable. For this reason, having one in his cab made him extremely uncomfortable.

 _[You could always give the squishy what it wants,]_ said a voice in his head, _[and just let it out. See how long it lasts out there,]_ it snickered. Sideswipe was startled momentarily and his alt mode jerked. Panicked, he tightened the restraints he had around his passenger and observed her, as if she would glitch out at any moment. Her eyes shot from the straps to his dashboard to the road and back, obviously startled. But as they continued on, she settled down again in the restraints, and he loosened them up slightly.

 _[Slag it Sunny, I hate it when you do that!]_ he sent to his twin brother, Sunstreaker.

 _[Don't call me that,]_ he griped back. _[It's your own fault for not sensing me in the first place. That thing really got you so worked up?]_

 _[It's a femme,]_ Sideswipe argued halfheartedly, _[although it certainly has a temper. And I can't possibly throw her out, Optimus asked for her_ safe _retrieval.]_

 _[You should have let Ironhide take it. He's good with organics after all,]_ he snickered again through their bond, obviously thinking of that male human who Ironhide seemed _very_ fond of. _[But no, you wanted to prove yourself to Optimus didn't you? Said you'd take care of the 'con, and rescue the human while you were at it. Take all the glory.]_

 _[He says we're not "integrating" with this planet and its inhabitants enough,]_ Sideswipe argued. _[Plus, I was starting to hear rumors that he might put us in charge of training the human soldiers if we didn't try to interact with them more.]_

 _[This isn't our home,]_ Sunstreaker shot back. _[And if it weren't for the fact that I hate the 'cons so much, I'd almost be willing to join their cause. Our home will always be Cybertron, no matter how much Optimus tries to have us make friendly with the organics.]_ Sideswipe could feel Sunstreaker's anger and pain through their bond, and he couldn't help but join him. It had been eons since it happened, but the pain of losing their home planet was still so fresh.

He and Sunstreaker had been the newest arrivals to Earth, having only landed a fortnight before – roughly two years after the battle in Mission City. They could not understand this bond that their comrades had formed with the human soldiers during that time, the "brother-in-arms" relationship that Ironhide had described it as. Seeing bots whom he had fought beside for vorns and considered family suddenly have such an apparent strong bond with these—these _humans_ in only a few deca-cycles was absolutely beyond him.

" _What's so special about them, anyway? They're small and weak and can be killed by anything at all,"_ he had said to Optimus not long ago in his frustration.

After considering his statement with the patience only Optimus Prime could have, he had responded, _"But they are brave and they are passionate beings, full of hope despite their short lives and fragile countenance. And they can be fiercely loyal friends,"_ he finished fondly, his optics moving over to look at where Ironhide and his human partner – Lennox, was his name – were sitting, just talking. But Sideswipe had never experienced anything remotely similar to those qualities from the humans in his short time on Earth.

Sure, the soldiers at the base had been eager enough to befriend him and his brother – probably Optimus or Ironhide who had put them up to it, really. But Sideswipe found himself unwilling to engage them in any kind of conversation. Their presence around him only seemed to remind him of his loss, their matching uniforms a testament to where their loyalties truly lie. Because of this, no matter how friendly the humans had tried to be, it came off as insincere to him somehow. His teammates' apparent obsession with the humans only served to make him feel even more ostracized. Although he would not go so far as to say that he hated the humans…the same could not be said of his brother, whose reaction to their advances bordered on animosity.

 _[I tried being nice to this one,]_ Sideswipe commented. _[But she didn't want to be "friends",]_ he laughed through their bond as his brother scoffed.

 _[Ungrateful, is what it is. Wanted to stay and die out there I'd guess, the stupid human.]_ Sideswipe considered this, but it didn't seem to make sense.

 _[Rather, it seemed like she just didn't want to come with_ us, _]_ Sideswipe interjected. _[Ironhide said she isn't a soldier, either. Said it'd make sense she'd be frightened by us.]_

 _[Did he say that she'd be so_ angry, _though?]_

Purposely not mentioning his brother's slip when he called the femme a "she" instead of an "it", Sideswipe continued. _[From what she said, it seems like she has some kind of connection to the Decepticons, and it doesn't sound good. Not only that, she did fight one of them after all. Looks like she offlined him, too—that pit-spawned Starscream, if you can believe it.]_

Sunstreaker simply huffed. He had already received the news from the report Sideswipe had sent back earlier. By now, they all no doubt knew of the human who singled-handedly offlined not just a 'con, but Starscream of all of them. _[Allegedly,]_ Sunstreaker added with another huff.

Observing the femme in his cab again for the umpteenth time, he sighed into his bond with Sunstreaker.

 _[Ooooh,]_ his brother began again with sudden interest, and Sideswipe internally winced, quickly regretting even mentioning the femme. _[So_ that's _what's got you so upset. That little squishy treats you like you're a Decepticon,]_ Sunstreaker said knowingly. _[And you're all bent outta shape about it.]_

 _[I am_ **not** _all bent out of shape about the opinion of some slagging human,]_ Sideswipe defended weakly, but Sunstreaker was laughing.

 _[Okay okay, tough shot. No need to get so worked up about it. You've got nothin' to prove.]_ Sunstreaker said. However, to Sideswipes frustration, he still seemed to be finding it all much too humorous.

* * *

Piper was uncomfortable in every possible way. She was hot, tired, hungry, and needed to use the facilities. They had been driving for hours from what she could tell, and glancing at her wrist, she sighed as she realized her watch had been broken sometime between her fight with Starscream and now. Considering she'd had it since her initial capture almost a year ago, she felt somewhat uncomfortable to be suddenly without it.

Everything outside had started to look the same. Large bodies of dry land and the occasional mountain range came in and out of her view, although sometimes she could catch the silhouette of a distant cluster of buildings, which always made her perk up. Knowing she was so close and yet still in captivity, however, had her feeling angry and frustrated all over again, and she diverted her eyes from the window.

Still restrained to her place in the center-back seat, Piper had long since stopped looking. Instead, she took up examining the inside of the luxury car she rode in—the inside of one of _them_. She had never ridden in one like this before—she had not been given such comfortable seating when she'd been kidnapped by the Decepticons. The dashboard had caught her attention especially, and she monitored it closely.

A part of her was curious. Where was the dash when he was in his bipedal form?

As she watched, she noticed that the wheel turned when the alt did. There was a lever for the turn signal, with all the markings to imply that the headlights, windshield wipers and high-beams were usable, too. Observing the gauges, she could see the tiny indicating arms that showed the speed they were going (which Sideswipe was currently attempting to max out, it seemed) and fuel remaining. The fuel hand was the only one that didn't seem to move as a normal car's would, and as the hours passed, it stayed consistently on empty.

The dashboard in front of the passenger seat had the word ' _Lamborghini'_ scrawled over it, embedded into the material. From what Piper could see, it was certainly one in every way – a luxury car she might've loved to ride in a year ago. The dash and all appliances within the car were black, but the upholstery and detailing was red. Yes, it was a beautiful and expensive vehicle – except that it wasn't – and she knew without a doubt that this mech had high-class taste and was concerned with his appearance. She filed this information away.

The only change that Sideswipe seemed to have made in the design was the insignia on the steering wheel. The face solemnly staring at Piper from its position there was the Autobot's symbol. She ran her eyes over it disapprovingly for maybe the thousandth time in an hour.

"Will you cut that out? It's really getting distracting." Sideswipe's voice came from the speakers and Piper flinched.

"What?" she asked sharply, although she had an idea.

"You're staring," he said.

"Just looking."

"It's freaking me out."

"Not really my problem," she shrugged.

Sideswipe was trying to control his irritation, but she had been steadily getting on his last circuit wire. Her dark, unnerving eyes had been staring intensely at him for joors. "You could go for the view outside again. I liked that one better." He said shortly. She seemed to find his comment funny though, and the barest of smiles crossed her features, the glint in her eyes making him nervous. Piper, on the other hand, was quickly figuring out her opponent.

"So…where are we, anyway?" She asked casually, swiftly changing the subject. He hesitated, but couldn't find a reason not to tell her except for the fact that she was _highly_ aggravating. He decided that that was a good enough reason.

He vented a bit before answering, "Who knows."

Piper paused, blinking. "What, you won't tell me?"

"Well, it's _not really my problem_ ," He shot back, feeling momentarily pleased with his successful use of her comeback against her. However, she seemed unruffled.

Piper's eyes widened a fraction before a bemused expression covered her face. "Oh yeah? Hmm," she hummed, biting her lip.

"...What?"

"No, I'm sorry. It was my mistake. I really shouldn't have assumed anything. It was rude of me." She tried her hand at looking bashful.

"…What are you talking about?" he demanded at last. He knew he shouldn't have risen to her bait, but he couldn't help himself.

"Oh, no, it's just that I hadn't realized that you were actually just following the bot in front of us. We're in Nevada, if you wanted to know." She actually managed to look chagrined after she'd said this, and even had the nerve to tack on a little "it's okay to be confused sometimes" at the end. In truth, she had seen a freeway sign awhile back.

He suddenly felt his temper spike and momentarily had trouble focusing on the road. Normally, he and his brother loved giving others a hard time, consistently messing around and causing trouble for the other Autobots. If there was a time where he was one-upped by someone else, he could usually find it in himself to give them props for it. But knowing that the _maddening_ little organic, the _human_ in the back seat of his cab had just lead him into her bait trap so easily was grinding on his patience. It was downright humiliating.

"Of _course_ I know where we are-!" he threw back lamely, not being able to come up with anything more creative. Her eyes flashed in triumph, and she knew she had his number now. A bot who drove a Lamborghini and hated being looked down on-his pride was his weakness, and her advantage.

 _[You've gotta calm down, Sideswipe,]_ Sunstreaker's voice was back now, sensing the anger his brother was feeling. _[You're the one who wanted to do this. Don't let it get to you. It's just an organic.]_

 _[She is trying my patience. She's unreasonable and she's pissing me off on purpose,]_ he said indignantly.

 _[Obviously. And you fell for it.]_ Sunstreaker was laughing at him, but Sideswipe's mood was fouled. _[It was pretty good, too,]_ he added, and Sideswipe just sulked.

Looking back at the girl again, the squishy was looking _infuriatingly_ pleased with herself. She seemed to be beaming, looking out the window with a knowing smirk on her face that seemed to scream 'I win'. Sideswipe had to remind himself that although his mind had been provoked enough that he had begun to see her as a real opponent, she was still a human whom he could crush instantly. This rational thought gave him only mild appeasement as he went back to focusing on the road. He didn't want to worry Ironhide too much, who had already commed him once about his erratic driving.

 _[Could it be that human femmes are just naturally disagreeable?]_ he posed the question to his brother, who had since stopped his chortling. There had been only one human femme he had seen, one that Optimus corresponded with, and she was some sort of government official. Although he had heard from the others that she was unpleasant, he had not witnessed it himself.

 _[Yes,]_ Sunstreaker responded, _[the human mechs seem rather tame in comparison to that one. I am surprised there are not more femmes in the human army.]_

 _[I'm not sure I could stand it if they were all as obnoxious as she is,]_ he vented, glancing at the girl once again. She had suddenly turned back to the window with some kind of renewed interest, and after looking around his cab again, began scratching her head in an odd way. Perplexed, Sideswipe sent the image to his brother. _[What do you suppose she's-?]_ he began to ask the question, but then he felt a jolt of horror as her helm began to leak red fluids again. Even worse, the femme brushed her servo over it, and then promptly brought it down over his center console, wiping her soiled fingers over his interior.

That was the last straw.

Slamming on the breaks, his doors flew open, and she was immediately unbuckled and ejected from his alt mode. "You— _you_ …!" he exclaimed in disbelief, beginning to transform.

Piper hit the dirt with an _oomph,_ rolling a few paces beofre scrambling to her feet. She immediately broke into a run, ignoring her aching body. The freeway they were on had taken them before a small town, and she felt that it was the best possible time to try out her idea. Her plan had worked better than anticipated, although she thought it almost too comical to be a viable method of escape. _I can't believe that worked,_ she thought. _What a ridiculously vain robot._

She had heard him begin to transform when she landed and expected pursuit. However, there was river that ran between them and the town, and she knew that that and the rocky terrain would make it impossible for him to do it in his fancy alt form. He would have to climb, just as she was, in his bipedal mode, or try to stay on the road and go the long way into the town. But she would be long gone by then.

There was no sound but the wind in her ears as she climbed over the rocky terrain, and when she glanced back, she was surprised to see the red car still back on the road. The black truck was sitting somewhat off-road next to him, partially blocking her view of Sideswipe, and the man inside had climbed out and was watching her. _Giving up?_ She wondered sarcastically, and then continued, wading into the river towards civilization. When she had made it to the other side, she checked behind her once more, noticing that they were beginning to drive again, heading toward the road that led into town. She became curious at this, and wondered if her initial assessment had been wrong. _Maybe they won't transform when others are around?_ she wondered. Either way, she had no intention of being caught again.

* * *

"What the _frag_ , Ironhide! She's getting _away_!"

"No thanks to you," he shot back. "But we can't transform here, we're too close to that town. People will see us."

After Sideswipe had thrown the human out of his cab, Ironhide had promptly swerved, spinning around to try and stop the human who seemed intent on escape. However, he quickly saw that he was about to have bigger problems on his servos when Sideswipe began transforming. Instead of blocking the human's escape, he went for Sideswipe, bumping the mech onto his side just as he began to stand up.

"Slagger! Back to alt form _, this instant!"_ He demanded. Sideswipe paused, hesitating as if he wanted to argue. But another bite from Ironhide had him transforming again. Lennox got out at this point, rubbing the back of his head and griping about being too old for this.

"'Hide, you don't know what she _did_ —" Sideswipe started, but his complaints were silenced.

"Oh, I can guess. Your brother contacted me. Said you were all 'bent outta shape about some fragging human'. Looks like he was right."

"But she put—she _wiped_ her _fluid_ all over my cab! Her disgusting, _human_ fluids!" He wined. However, he was barking up the wrong tree. There was an awkward silence before Lennox cleared his throat, and Sideswipe suddenly realized his mistake.

"Oh, gee," Lennox began, "Sorry for being so _disgusting_ and all. But do you think you might have overreacted a little? I mean, she _was_ kind of the mission." Lennox was watching the girl as she dog-paddled across the deepest part of the river. Even if he tried to catch up to her now, her head-start meant that by the time he made it across, she would likely be long gone. The girl was a tanacious one, he'd give her that.

Glancing back up at Ironhide's alt form, he suddenly noticed the strained silence that had fallen over them after his previous comment. _Ah,_ he thought, feeling a bit chagrined. While he was hardly bothered by Sideswipe's comment about humans, Ironhide was a different story. He stifled a chuckle at his overprotective partner.

If Sideswipe could gulp in his current form, he would have. He could feel waves of animosity coming from Ironhide, who was, no doubt, contemplating the best way to offline him. It was well-known that he was fond of the human, and although he perhaps silently agreed that leaking fluids in his cab was a less than ideal occurrence with organics, Ironhide would not see his human friend insulted in his presence.

"You. You're gonna fix this. Right _now_ ," Ironhide snapped. Sideswipe winced internally, expecting the bite.

"I'll catch her again, I swear…" Sideswipe started. He knew he had blown it, and the femme had already disappeared into the cluster of human-built structures not far away. He also knew better than to blame her for what happened—he had lost his temper and thrown her out. Not only that, but he was fully aware of the mission, fully aware that they were taking this human against her will, and also fully aware of her eagerness to escape. To think that she would have sat quietly in his cab while they brought her in, well… that was dumb. He should have treated her like any other detainee rather than underestimating her because she was a human. He felt foolish.

"No. You're not doing _anything_ with her anymore. If I had my way, you'd be heading back right now to explain to Optimus why you couldn't handle escorting back to base a young woman who was victimized by _our enemy_. Rather, you somehow managed to terrorize her even further," he said, his words making Sideswipe wince. "However," he continued, his optics flashing, "seeing as Optimus is already on his way here, you'll have that opportunity earlier than planned." Sideswipe felt his spark sink further at this news.

"Plus, I need you here to keep an optic out for the girl. If you find her, you're going to let _me_ —no, you're going to let _Major_ _Lennox_ here do all the talking, and just sit back and try not to cause any more problems," he finished.

Although he and his brother had been known pranksters in the past, it had been vorns since he had blundered a mission like this. He had a very good reputation as a soldier. The sudden blow to his pride had him completely off his game, and the frustration and shame hit him all at once. A voice piped up suddenly, and he realized that Lennox was speaking to him,

"You know, honestly, it was probably irresponsible of us to let you take her even though we knew that you might be—well, that you aren't really experienced with humans. We were wrong to put that on you," he said gently. Although Lennox spoke with the intention of taking the blame off of Sideswipe's shoulders, every word he said was like a dagger to his chassis. He seemed to be saying that they had overestimated him, and that he'd not lived up to their expectations. It was even worse coming from a human.

"Right. You've done enough. Lennox and I will go after the girl and bring her in ourselves, as we should have to begin with," He snorted, and Sideswipe felt miserable.

Venting, he turned aft and continued on the road into the city after the girl. He felt like he was running away from the scene behind him, and he was ashamed of his own cowardice. Sunstreaker had remained silent the whole time, wisely opting to not say anything that might make Sideswipe even more upset. However, in some ways, that consideration felt even worse.

* * *

 **Hey! Thanks for reading. It was really hard for me to decide how to characterize Sideswipe in this chapter, and I was nervous about writing him correctly from the beginning so that he feels like a consistent personality throughout the story. In most Fanfictions, it seems like he's portrayed as being pretty light-hearted. I think that he still is, really. However, even easy-going characters go through rough times, and I thought that since he and his brother weren't in the Mission City battle, it might be an interesting conflict to see some Autobots who arrived later and if/how they are able to relate with the humans. I'm not sure this idea is ever addressed in the movies, but I'd say it's safe to assume that some have had more opportunities to bond than others. You might argue "But, Sideswipe is so friendly, it seems like it wouldn't be difficult for him to acclimate." True, but remember that he's a twin and hardly ever at a loss for company because of that. Think of Hikaru and Kaoru from OHSHC ya know-it's hard for anyone to intrude on that kind of bond.**

 **Anyway! Have a good week everyone, still working on mine. PLEASE REVIEW AND KEEP MY FIRE BURNING!**

 **Oh yeah! If you were wondering what a slaarg* was, it has a vague description in the Transformers wiki as only being mentioned once ever in the Gen. 1 Transformers series. Cyclonus compares exiled Decepticons squabbling over their energon supply to the behavior of slaargs, which are apparently creatures who fight amongst themselves. Really, it's way obscure, but I did say I was going to keep as much "lore" as I could include in this FF. I'd rather not make anything up if I can find something from the lore that works where and how I need it to work, even if it's only mentioned once in canon. **


	4. A Hitchhiker's Risk

I don't own the Transformers or make any claims to the locations mentioned in this story. It's purely fan-generated.

 **Hello! OH GOSH, WATER ON MARS! HOW WONDERFUL!**

 **I'm a few days late on this update, but I think it was worth it. I've been job hunting, and it's been pretty disheartening...honestly, my creative juices have been soiled by a kind of lingering depression about it T_T anyway, I'm back.**

 **I don't generally like posting a chapter until I've written at least 1 or 2 chapters ahead-that way I can keep a consistency of plot. e.i., if I'm writing new developments and then want to change something that happened before to tie the story together better, I have at least a little bit of opportunity to do it without having to edit post-published chapters. I do have a broad idea for this story, but the details come as I write, fleshing my world out as I go.**

 **Sorry if some parts are a little bit detail-heavy...usually the problem is the opposite, but I HAVE found the occasional fic where I think, "Please stop talking about every little thing and get on with it." Most of the time though, I wish authors would add more detail to slow the story down and help with the flow, so it feels like the characters are thinking and and having down time.**

 **...That being said, for anyone who's seen Attack on Titan, it becomes laughable when they draw out a moment (especially in fight scenes) that is probably ten seconds long and give the character 10 episode minutes of internal dialogue and emotional angst :,D Ah, such sweet sorrow.**

 **Anyway! Speaking of drawing things out. *ahem* Enjoy!**

* * *

Piper wandered through the town feeling very out of place, and it wasn't because she looked like a vagrant and people were giving her strange looks. If she could compare it to anything, it would be like having intense culture-shock.

People went about their business around her, seemingly without a care in the world. She passed little mom & pop stores and family-run restaurants, the smell of food as she walked (reluctantly) by making her weak at the knees. Houses sat in rows with neat front lawns, chairs bunched on large patios with star spangled flags hanging from their eves. The whole place just seemed to exude the feeling of "hometown America", and the environment was so terribly juxtaposed with her own situation that Piper was having trouble understanding the surreal sense of normalcy.

After crossing the river, the warm Nevada air had dried her clothes to a bearable point by the time she found a gas station. The sun had sunk low in the sky, and the lights of the town were beginning to turn on around her as she made her way toward the lot. The place she had come to was a run-down filling station without a roof over the pumps, but her business was not with the gasoline. Piper passed beneath a sign that read _Maverik_ which hung over the convenience store entrance, and quickly located the bathroom.

The Decepticon fortress had been primarily underground, and there had been a creek running through one of the caverns that the humans had been allowed to use for the task of making waste. As much as the 'cons had hated giving the humans any sort of privilege, this one thing had been an exception—and everyone was relieved for it.

Having finished her business, Piper washed her hands and then leant over, drinking the water from the faucet before washing her face as well. She felt the dried blood encrusted on the side of her head beneath her hair, and gently wiped at it, removing what she could without bothering the wound itself. Shutting off the faucet, she began contemplating her situation. Surviving in the wilderness was one thing, but in a town with no money… she considered how she would get by.

 _I wonder how the others are doing,_ she thought, her mind traveling back to where she had been captured. As far as she knew, the five she had left behind were still out there in that forest, miles back. Their faces flashed through her mind, and then suddenly, more faces, and then more—and before she knew it, she was being overwhelmed with an enormous wave of guilt and sorrow that came on so suddenly that the air was knocked from her body as if she'd been punched.

Startled, she found herself clinging to the edge of the sink for support as she reeled from the unexpected panic attack that was laying siege to her body. Her heart pounded on the inside of her chest and she began to shiver violently. _Calm down,_ she thought to herself, _you've gotta calm down Piper, you've still got a ways to go. You can't afford to be like this right now._

Even as she told herself this, she knew she would have to ride it out to the end. She felt like she was suffocating under the weight of a thousand sounds and voices that clashed loudly inside of her mind. She heard the shifting and sliding of metal, the screams and cries of other prisoners as their voices bounced off the echoing, cavernous interior of the Decepticon base. The smooth surface of the bathroom walls did not help as she heard herself begin to physically gasp for breath, and the room seemed to shrink around her as her senses were assaulted, her mind overpowered by the sheer amount of _noise_ that she could not filter.

 _Please be quiet,_ she begged her consciousness. _Please, it's too loud here. I can't think._ She covered her ears, placing her elbows on the sink as she bent over it, her forehead pressed to the wall. Her field of vision narrowed until she could only see the drain at the bottom of the basin. A cold sweat had broken out over her burning body, and she knew it was almost over.

Soon enough, she was heaving up the water she'd just drank, the end result of her body's failed attempt at problem solving. When there was nothing left in her stomach to purge, she slumped to the grimy floor, the attack subsiding and the energy gone from her body.

Placing a hand over her heart, she felt her pulse slowing as she calmed, the tension dissipating from her body. "Well, that was a bad one _,_ " she said aloud, leaning against the tiled wall of the single-toilet restroom. _At least I was in a place where nobody could see me. I can't imagine how pathetic I look right now,_ she thought with no small amount of self-deprecation.

Glancing up, she noticed that the bathroom didn't have a mirror. She knew she was probably in bad shape, but vaguely wondered what exactly others saw when they stared at her on the street. _…No,_ she decided, _probably better I don't know._

After taking a few more minutes to compose herself, Piper got to her feet and drank from the faucet once more before stepping out of the bathroom. She scanned her eyes over the mouth-watering snacks until she noticed the cashier frowning at her. He watched her over his glasses, his brows pulled together as she approached him.

"Excuse me," she said, trying her best to sound respectable despite her appearance, "But what town is this?" His frown deepened as he considered her.

"…Winnemucca," he said finally, and tacked on "Nevada" in case she wasn't aware.

Piper wasn't familiar with the town, so she asked if she could see a map. He seemed reluctant to let her, but as she made no move to shy away from his stare, he caved, perhaps hoping she would depart quickly once she knew where she was.

Piper gazed at the map and sighed. Winnemucca was out in the middle of nowhere, to the north and in the center of Nevada. The only plus to this was that it made up a junction between two freeways. _Perhaps I can hitchhike,_ she considered optimistically. A year ago the idea would have made her nervous, but now, she figured she could handle herself fine. _Nothing in this world is worse than what I've already escaped from,_ she thought.

She spotted the road that the Autobots had taken to get here, and tracked it north, trying to find an idea of where she had come from. Her eyes scrutinized each mountain range as if she would be able to spot the Decepticon fortress sitting on one of them.

 _This is getting me nowhere,_ she sighed. Memorizing the numbers of the major freeways, she thanked the cashier, giving the map back. Before she left, her eyes strayed to the telephone on the counter. In just one swift motion, she could lift it and call her family, tell them she was safe and alive and coming home to them. Maybe they could meet her half way. This was the closest she'd been to hearing their voices in nearly a year.

But no, she knew it was too risky. _No Piper, no technology. I need to play it safe, stick with my plan, what I know I can do with my own power. I've come too far to make a stupid mistake and get myself captured again—or get them captured with me._

So reluctantly, she turned and walked back to the front of the store. The windows and door were covered almost completely in signs and advertisements, and she peered between them to scope out the area outside. There were vehicles driving past, of course, but none she recognized as a threat. _I can't fear them all,_ she thought with a sigh, and pushed the door open.

The streets were bathed in day's last light, and the people around were now heading back to their homes or going out for some post-dinner shopping. As she was making her way through the bustle towards the edge of town, a voice called out from behind her.

"Hey, there you are!" it spoke. Piper jerked, turning her body slightly to see if the voice was addressing her. Immediately she recognized who it was. The soldier from before stood in front of her, his camouflage garb making him easy to recognize. She shrunk back.

"Easy now, I just want to talk," he said, putting his hands up in a defensive gesture. But she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes scanned the streets, but she couldn't find his "truck" anywhere. "It's just me here," he added. Sideswipe had spotted her entering the store—so he had had Ironhide drop him not far off, opting to try talking to her without their presence. Watching the girl, she just continued scanning the streets around her without acknowledging him.

When she didn't respond, he continued. "So, I think we got off on the wrong foot…" he scratched the back of his head and gave a non-threatening half-smile. "I realize something bad has happened to you, and that…that maybe you don't understand it completely yourself. But if you know… _them_ …like we do, you probably already know that they don't easily give up the things they've taken. Sideswipe said that you claimed to have escaped from them. Don't you think they'll be looking for you…?" he finished. In truth, Sideswipe had been sending detailed information about her to the rest of the team—everything that she had said to him, plus details like how she'd apparently had a nightmare in his cab, and even her body temperature and pulse-and he had actually heard it all from Ironhide. But in his opinion, it all seemed a little intrusive to him. He decided not to let her in on that.

Piper kept her eyes on the streets, but she had heard him and was considering his words. It was apparent that he was attempting to manipulate her mindset into seeing his way—which would end with her going back with the Autobots.

"Probably," She stated evenly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye as she kept her focus on the streets.

A bit taken aback by the nonchalance of her answer, he continued in earnest. "We just want to help you. My friends and I, I mean. We're on the same side, on your side," he clarified. He felt encouraged that she hadn't run, but still needed to choose his words carefully.

"We are _not_. There is no common ground between us as long as you are with any one of _their kind_ ," she snapped back.

"I understand! I get it," he tried to smooth it over, but her face remained completely closed to his words. "But they're not all the same… I mean, you saw the truck back there. That one is my partner, and he considers me the same. We've had each others' backs while battling the…the _enemy_ before," he spoke carefully, dodging around any names that others might overhear. Any information about the Cybertronians was completely classified, and it was also one of the many reasons they had to take this girl in. She was considered a threat to security.

"That's nice, how _wonderful_ for you. You can't imagine how much I care," she said sarcastically. "However, I'm on my way home. Come hell or high water, I won't be going with you willingly. So," she looked at him seriously now, "how do you plan take me in if your 'friends' can't help you? You gonna shoot me here on the street and drag me away?" she finished, gesturing around her. People were glancing at them as they passed. Some had even paused to watch from across the street. It must have been a strange sight, a man in military camouflage and an apparently homeless woman staring each other down on the stretch of sidewalk. The tense atmosphere didn't help.

Lennox winced. He was going to have to try and convince her quickly. "Look, we're not that type of group. You've been involved in something…highly classified. We need to—"

"Make sure I keep my mouth shut?"

"—make sure you're safe. Make sure you don't have—that you aren't being tracked. And then…maybe you could tell us where you were being kept, so that we could do something about the… _people_ who you escaped from. After that, well…honestly, I'm not in a position to say when, but I assure you, you'll be able to go home again. I'll take you there myself." He spoke carefully, and hoped beyond hope he would be able to fulfill his promise to this young woman.

He now had Piper's full attention. Images of her family flashed through her mind, her mom and dad and Sophie, their peaceful home on that run-down, rural street by the rail road tracks.

Her eyes narrowed at him. _So it is some big secret then?_

"…Who are you with, exactly? The 'group' you mentioned?"

"I can't talk about that here," he said. She let out a breath and looked away, but he quickly continued before she could dismiss him entirely, "I promise, I'll explain everything later. But for your cooperation with us in helping to find our mutual enemy, we can offer you protection and safe passage to wherever you want to go after. Will you agree to those terms?"

She felt like she wanted to take his offer. It was so tempting, to just go with this military man who seemed trustworthy, to feel secure and safe and have her own bed, _a shower_ , and then travel home comfortably after giving them what they wanted. And yet, it would involve going against her first instinct.

No matter how she reasoned, she would be accepting a deal that sounded too good to be true while relying on someone else to have control of her situation, trusting they'll have her best interests in mind. She could not stomach the thought of giving up any ounce of freedom she had gained to them in return for promises that may be empty. She was opposed to cutting corners for convenience, and simply didn't have it in her to trust this nameless group who wanted her to believe in them without reason, despite how badly she wanted to. And as she scanned her eyes over her surroundings, she made up her mind when her gaze fell upon the nose of a red vehicle almost out of view a few blocks away, and she narrowed her eyes in disgust. _Not to mention that I would be handing myself over to another group of bots. I would really be a fool._

"Ah. Well it seemed like your _friend_ was really worried about my safety and protection when he dumped me here," she said, anger apparent in her voice. Her eyes did not leave the Lamborghini. Quickly after, however, the nose of the car vanished, backing up behind a building.

The soldier seemed to sigh before making a brief statement of apology for Sideswipe's behavior, but was surprised when she continued speaking.

"And considering I had to rescue myself from those— _things_ in the first place with no help from you _or_ your pals, I'm not sure I'm buying what you're trying to sell here regarding what's in my best interest. Sorry, I think I'm gonna have to turn down your offer—I'll be just fine without their _assistance_. I've been through enough, and I think I deserve to live out the rest of my life without having to see one of _them_ ever again."

With that, she told him good-bye and promptly headed back down the street. Lennox was flabbergasted. It seemed like she had been almost convinced, and then…her wariness seemed to have gotten the better of her.

Stepping after her, he urged her to see reason. "This is the U.S. government you're talking about. You know you won't be able to run forever. The things you know about…they're extremely classified, so it's important that you're debriefed and then cleared with a cover story you can tell your family. Please, it'll be so much easier if you just come with us now—chat with some officials, sign a few papers and you'll be free to go home."

"I'm going home _now_ ," she snapped back.

"We'll just follow you," he said. "It's imperative that you talked to us before anyone else."

"Nah, I'm pretty confident I can lose you. Seems like your friends can't be seen by the public. That works in my favor."

"I could always just have you arrested. These kinds of small towns generally like the military. It won't take much to sway them, and then convince them to give custody to me. C'mon, it'll be painless, promise. You can ride with me this time. You won't even have to talk to _them_."

She stopped walking and whirled on him. "Arrest me, and I spill the beans on your buddies. I don't care how I look."

"No one will believe you," he responded, his own irritation flaring up. He was beginning to realize how senseless the argument was becoming, his optimism dissipating.

"Oh, I think they will. Maybe not at first, but when a military officer asks to take custody of me…? Oh, they're bound to wonder about the validity of my words then." His brow furrowed as he looked down at her, his attitude quickly becoming grim. Beneath her bangs and her dirt-smudged face, he could see defiance dancing in her eyes, and it suddenly occurred to him why Sideswipe might've felt the urge to toss her from his cab. The girl was stubborn and intolerable.

She had begun walking again, and just as he was about to follow his radio beeped. Keeping his eyes on her, he unclipped it from his belt and held it up, speaking into the receiver. "No, I couldn't convince her. She's still too suspicious."

Ironhide's voice could be heard then. "Understood, we heard everything loud and clear. Optimus is here—Epps too. He thinks he has an idea," he said. Lennox's curiosity was piqued, and he asked Ironhide what it was. But Ironhide seemed as confused as he was. "I'm not sure what they're planning, but we've been informed not to make contact again, and to stay back."

* * *

Piper wandered toward the freeway she intended to follow back to her home, the I-80 West that would take her into California. She scanned the area around her as she went, but saw no signs that she was being followed and nothing abnormal that would give her cause of alarm. Even so, it was possible that any of the surrounding vehicles were in league with the Autobots, and she felt she would likely be followed from her current position. _But if I can just make it to LA without giving them an opportunity to catch me alone,_ she thought, _I think I can shake them there._

The soldier's worries had not been justified where the Decepticons were concerned—she knew the 'cons could not track her. She knew their alt forms well and had not seen a one. And while there _had_ been some talk of trackers, they had never gotten around to putting anything like that into the humans. Something about a waste of time and resources—the humans didn't normally last long enough for that to ever be necessary. However, it had been the Decepticons' overconfidence that had been their real weakness. They thought the humans feared the consequence of attempted escape more than they wanted freedom. They were wrong.

As she reached the edge of town, she found what she had been looking for. There, just before the freeway entrance, was a _Flying J_ gas station with a wide lot on either side for parking. To the right of the rather large convenience store sat rows of semi trucks, either parked for the night or preparing to gas up for the next leg of their journey. This was where Piper planned to hitch a ride.

Walking along the row, she could see that most of the drivers were missing—probably having dinner inside of the store, which included a small deli, or at the small casino next to it. Piper's stomach growled at the thought, but she ignored it. _Just a little longer. You've been through worse, stop complaining,_ she willed it.

Walking closer to the store despite herself, her eyes fell upon the trucks that were currently beside the pumps. One truck in particular caught her attention—a Peterbilt semi that, although the model was dignified enough, had been completely pimped out to an embarrassing level. Even in the fading light, she could see clearly the gaudy and obnoxiously bright custom paint job of blue and red overlapping flames that adorned the truck's sides, and there were an alarming number of extra LED lights added to every edge. The overall effect was absolutely offensive to her retinas, and she could see the other truckers who passed making double-takes at the absurd theme-park-on-wheels that this truck resembled. Piper inwardly wondered what sort of person could unashamedly drive this color-molested monstrosity when her eyes met with the man himself.

He was standing to the side of it, holding the gas nozzle into the fill spout and apparently filling it. He was also looking directly at her. Piper quickly broke eye-contact. _Maybe one of the more normal looking trucks…_ She thought, still feeling the man's gaze boring into her face. But as if on cue, the other semis at the pumps high-tailed it out of the lot as if they thought they might be infected by this man's truck-shaped abomination. _There's no way,_ she thought, glancing back. The man was grinning from ear to ear now, and then he shouted at her.

"Miss! Do you need a ride?" He then began waving his arms at her. A hint of suspicion ran through her at his attention, but she dismissed it almost immediately.

 _One of_ _ **them**_ _wouldn't be caught dead with that sort of appearance,_ she thought, feeling very assured of this fact. She vaguely tried imagining Megatron in such a form. Her mind could not conjure the image.

Reluctantly, she made her way over to him. He was a large man with a dark complexion, and he seemed to be absolutely beaming next to his spotlessly clean and shining semi. Despite her thoughts on his truck, she felt relieved at least that this person did not seem threatening in the slightest. Glancing between him and his semi, she suppressed an exasperated sigh. _Yeah,_ she thought, feeling a bit chagrined at her own situation, _this would be how it ends up._

"Yes…how could you guess?" She asked him.

"I've been at this long enough. I can tell the hitch-hikers," he responded easily. Although she could not sense any malicious intent in his words, they had her feeling suddenly self-conscious.

 _Do I really look that bad?_ She wondered, but the man continued speaking.

"I'd appreciate the company if you want to catch a ride. What direction you headed?" he asked.

"West," she replied immediately. "I'm hoping to follow this freeway here west for awhile," Piper finished, gesturing to the I-80.

"Ah, gotcha. Me too! I'll take ya as far as I'm goin', unless you wanna stop somewhere."

"Doubt it, I've got a ways. What's your name?" she asked him.

"Folks just call me Epps. Yours?"

"…Ah, um." She felt suddenly stupid for not thinking about it earlier. "It's Joanna. Nice to meet you." It was her mother's name.

"Joanna, nice ta' meetcha! Well, I know it's late but I'm in a bit of a hurry, and I gotta be on the road shortly. Imma make a pit-stop in that store for a second, and then I'll be headin' off. Is that fine with you?" Epps told her.

"Sure," she nodded. _The sooner the better,_ she added inwardly, a touch of anxiety hitting her as she thought of going home at last.

They met back at the truck 10 minutes later, and Epps carried out with him a bulging shopping bag and two to-go boxes. They loaded up, and Piper was momentarily stunned by how spotless the interior of the cab was. _Don't truckers usually kinda live out of their vehicles?_ She thought, glancing at the man, Epps, who was settling into his seat. _I knew he wasn't normal to be driving something like this, but…_

All thought was thrown from her mind when one of the to-go boxes was placed in her lap. The smell of toasted bread reached her nose at the same instant, and when she opened the lid to reveal the sandwich, felt quite a bit like crying.

Glancing at Epps, she found him watching her too. He had a grin on his face and gave her a thumbs-up. "Somethin' for the road," he said, "Thought you could use it." Although he was still smiling, there was a note of something else in his voice as he said it. Perhaps it was pity.

"Uh, thanks…" she mumbled, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Normally she would have felt bad accepting the kindness of others so readily, but she was ravenous as she dug into her meal. He didn't say anything as he started the truck and drove onto the freeway, but at some point a water bottle had been placed in the cup-holder in front of her, and after establishing that it was also hers, she opened it and drank with equal enthusiasm. For the first time in a very long time, Piper felt she was experiencing a stroke of good luck. And as far as she knew, she was finally on her way home.

* * *

 **So there's chapter four! Thanks for reading. The end of this chapter makes me a little sad for Piper. Sorry, lady.**

 **Apologies if anyone is offended by my description of Optimus XD Everyone seems to describe their OC's first sighting of him as like...borderline rapturous :,D Christ give me life, I do not see it. Not that I don't see Optimus as absolutely badass and heroic and honorable and wonderful and whatnot, I'm still like, wtf, he has flames and shit, who did this to their truck? ^_^"**

 **SO! A note to one very specific guest reviewer... Nobody's getting pregnant. Yeah, that...okay, not sure where it came from, but yeah that...nah, not gonna offend any other FF writers out there who are into that, but just no. That being said, I'm going to make this clear right now...**

 ** _THIS STORY IS NOT RATED M FOR SMUT OR ANY KIND OF SEXUAL STUFFS. I'M NOT WRITING IT, SORRY IF IT'S WHAT YOU CAME FOR, NO HATE BUT THE DOOR IS THAT WAY._** **It's rated M for language and possible violence or whatever later on.**

 **Piper's also not going to be anything too special, she's not going to be the allspark, she's not going to become a Cybertronian later on, she's not gonna do squat. I mean if you wanna call me out on making her too Mary-Sue, she IS kind of a badass. But she's nothing more than a human badass. She may or may not get in touch at some point with the Cybertronian's more spiritual side, but hey, humans do spiritual stuff too (not to mention a certain Witwicky boy as well)-but it also may not happen.**

 **If you want a good example of what my story is lightly resembling in terms of like...genre, or style I guess, look at the story "Better Days" by Colorful Crayola. It's my favorite Transformers fic thus far, I love how it keeps to the human element really nicely, where the gap between what makes one human and cybertronian isn't bridged at all, if that makes sense. Hell, I probably like her story better than my own. I'll post the link, so check it out if you haven't- (Note:For whatever reason, I have trouble posting links here, so sorry if it doesn't appear :/ Idk how this works. Even when I use the "link" button before I send the story to my doc manager, it becomes all fudged when the story appears in the chapter list.)**

s/10932095/1/Better-Days

 **Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. You guys are so sweet, I absolutely love that some of you are really getting into it :,) Warms my heart, truly, I'll try to keep up the quality. Please lemme know if there's something you see that's amiss or odd or brings you out of the story at all. If you want, you can follow Piper's journey, the locations are all real places (Maverik and Flying J gas station and all).**

 **Thanks all so much, please review, much love!**

 **-PK**


	5. No Good Deed

**Hello again! Oh man, so many apologies for being so late with this. This year I've started at a new university that's on quarter system (as opposed to the semester system that I'm used to) so midterms slammed me hard! I'm used to a more spaced-out midterms month but I got them all in one week _ but hey, I'm done now, so I should be able to continue with weekly updates until finals. No guarantees though!**

 **This chapter has been in my PC for awhile, but it needed some tweaking, and I wrote ahead a bit to make sure it fit well. I was listening to a lot of good music while I wrote this one, if you're interested you guys should check them out. Make sure you like electronic music though! Some is dubstep, so be warned.**

 **"On my Mind" - Ellie Goulding**

 **"Daybreak" - Overwerk**

 **"Control" - Overwerk**

 **"The Orphan" - Savant**

 **Also, in honor of finding water on Mars I've been listening to this fun song that was played on a NASA documentary recently. Thought it was fitting, you must have an appreciation of space to appreciate Transformers. "On & On" by Tom Hillock.**

 **Anyway, on to the next chapter.**

* * *

Lennox, to put it lightly, was flabbergasted. " _What?_ You mean to tell me that Epps, of all people, managed to convince her when I couldn't?" He exclaimed incredulously, sitting in Ironhide's alt form. Ironhide and Sideswipe had hung back as Optimus commanded, but it hadn't been 45 minutes before they heard word that the girl was safely back in their custody.

"I don't think that's how it happened," Ironhide responded calmly.

"…You don't mean they used force, right?" Lennox inquired. He couldn't imagine it with Optimus overseeing things, unless he was really desperate. Optimus usually tried to use his words first.

"No, not that, either. It seems she doesn't realize who they are," Ironhide clarified. "She's hitch-hiking with them."

There was a pregnant pause, and then Lennox wanted to laugh. " _Unbelievable_ ," is all he could think to say. "Of _course_ Epps would try such a ridiculous plan and succeed." Suddenly, another voice interrupted through Ironhide's speakers.

"I was quite surprised as well," Optimus said. "However, this way the girl can travel comfortably and without fear," but he paused before adding, "for a time, anyway. I feel it may be a shock to her when she does find out the truth. For this reason, it is imperative that we arrive as quickly as possible to the nearest air base without the girl discovering our intentions."

"Oh no," Sideswipe's voice interjected next. "You're telling me you took the girl while she was under false pretenses? We're all in for one _pit_ of a slagstorm when she finds out. Primus, I do _not_ want to be present when that happens," he added.

Lennox was surprised to hear Sideswipe speaking again. He had figured that after his first screw-up, he'd hang back for the rest of the mission. But his continued interest in the girl was unexpected— _Unless he's trying to redeem himself?_ Lennox wondered.

"Agreed," Optimus continued, "It might be best if you follow behind at a distance. You too Ironhide, Captain Lennox. Epps is speaking with the girl now, and she has requested that we take her as close as we can to Los Angeles. Our destination remains the same- Edwards Air Force Base in California," he said. "With any luck, we can make it to the base without arousing too much suspicion."

"If we lose her in LA, we're sunk," Lennox added. Suddenly, there was yet another voice pushing into the conversation.

"Excuse me, sir. I have finished searching the missing person's roster from within the coordinates you sent. There is a woman who matches the general age and description of the woman in your possession," the voice said.

"Continue, Prowl," Optimus prompted, and there was a moment of radio silence as they all listened intently.

"A 22-year-old woman by the name of Piper Lindley, sir. She has been missing since last September 27th while attending the California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo. She was last seen by another student, who stated that the girl had called an 'Uber driver' while in the shopping district near the university and was then seen getting into a black car," he stated. He seemed confused by the term, and there was a pause which Lennox suspected meant he was looking it up. He soon continued, adding, "However, the missing persons report was filed by her creators who live in an area north-west of Los Angeles, designated the city of Simi Valley," he finished. "I will send her photo identification so you may verify. Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"No, that will be all. Good work Prowl," Optimus said, and the line was disconnected.

 _I'll have to find a way to contact Epps,_ Lennox thought, and began considering how best to go about it when he suddenly realized that none of the Autobots were speaking anymore. There was silence for a time, and he began to wonder if they all weren't communicating amongst themselves. Annoyance tugged at him, and after a few moments finally decided to say something.

"So then, what are we—"

"It's not her," Sideswipe's voice came through the speakers suddenly, cutting him off.

"What?" he asked confusedly when Ironhide's voice joined in.

"Sideswipe might be right. The girl in this photo looks nothing like the one we encountered earlier," he agreed.

An image suddenly appeared on the screen in Ironhide's dash, and Lennox quickly understood. The woman in the picture was smiling, and appeared much younger than the one they had met earlier that day. _But this is a license picture,_ Lennox thought. _Who knows when it was updated last._

"Hey, why not try and see if this girl has a profile on facebook? This picture might not even be recent," he suggested to the others.

There was a sound of approval from Ironhide and then more silence, and he could only assume they were scanning the web.

"No, this is definitely the wrong person," Sideswipe insisted. A facebook page appeared on the screen, and Lennox began to browse through the more recent profile pictures. Most of them were group photos with her and other people, other students perhaps, standing and smiling together. However, from these he could not find any resemblance with the feral-ish woman who was currently riding with his comrade. The woman he had met had narrow features and skin so colorless it appeared almost gray, with dark rings around even darker eyes. From beneath a mess of short, choppy dark hair her face was held in a perpetual scowl, her keen eyes observing everything with interest and so much suspicion. He could not see even a trace of that girl in the one from the pictures he examined, whose bright eyes and warm, freckled complexion had her looking very childlike, surrounded in the innocence of youth. If someone had upped the contrast over her face and put it under a black and white filter, perhaps only then might the girl on the facebook profile look more similar to the one they'd met.

However, he stopped scrolling when he found a picture that was taken individually, examining it closely.

"Ah," he heard Sideswipe exclaim, and there was a moment where they all observed the girl in the picture.

The young woman he was seeing, Piper, had long chestnut-brown hair that fell in waves over her shoulders. Her face was heart-shaped and lightly sun-kissed with freckles over her nose and cheeks. Her warm, light-brown eyes shone with mischief as she grinned at the camera, red lips smirking as the edge of her mouth pulled up on one side.

"The expression she's making in this picture is similar to one I've seen our femme make before," Sideswipe said, imagining the face of the girl in his cab once more. In hindsight, he now understood the way her eyes shone as she plotted how best to manipulate him. Irritation spiked in his spark as he realized too late what it had meant, but he quashed it and continued speaking. "But this can't be the same person…everything else is completely different. There's no way that someone can change so much in just a few quartexes, right?"

"I do not know," Optimus admitted. "However, after we arrive at base, there will be more opportunities to get answers. And with any luck, we can get them from the girl herself."

* * *

They had only been on the road an hour when Piper had begun to drift off. The past few days had been exhausting and she'd been ignoring a chronic throbbing in her skull. That, combined with her full stomach and the gentle rumbling of the truck, had her relenting easily into the warm arms of sleep.

However, her dreams were another matter entirely.

She awoke several times with a jolt, the screams of lost companions still ringing in her ears, or Megatron's gravelly and metallic voice promising to her a painful death for her "disloyalty". Each time, Epps would ask her if she was alright with a look of concern on his face. She played it off as best she could, and after the second time, he stopped asking her what she had been dreaming about. After the third time, she decided she would try not to fall asleep again.

Looking at the digital numbers on the dash board, it was just after 11PM and she was surprised to see that nearly four hours had passed since she had initially dozed. That meant that she had at least managed some small amount of sleep, which Piper felt wasn't so bad, even if the pain in her head had not dissipated.

"Aren't you tired at all?" She inquired eventually, looking to the man who had been staring out at the dark road ahead with diligence. "If you need to sleep, I could drive awhile," she offered, even though she had no experience driving a big rig. However, Piper thought she could manage alright if the road continued the way it had been so far. The freeway they were on now was empty, and consisted only of two small lanes—one in either direction.

Epps laughed. "No, this route is no problem. Besides, this rig practically drives hims—itself." He finished awkwardly. If she noticed his slip-up, she didn't say anything about it.

Instead she asked him for their location. Looking out the window, she couldn't make out much, but what she could see looked the same as when they had first left Winnemucca-fields of dry shrubs and tumbleweeds, with mountains in the distance all around them.

"We got off the 95 a bit ago," he answered her. "We're almost to the 6 now, headed for the border. Maybe 45 minutes before we enter California, and after that I'll make a quick pit stop."

She had never been very good at directions, but she strained her mind to remember the interstate numbers she'd seen on the map at the gas station. _The I-80 to the 95, and then route 6, to…_ she tried remembering the directions she had given herself, but she'd been working through a continuous fog in her mind and it was growing worse with her headache. However, the way they were going seemed right so far. _Almost there,_ she thought, excitement welling in her stomach.

After crossing the border, stopping for gas and having a bathroom break, they were back on the dark freeway which continued on and on. Piper noticed that Epps had bought himself an energy drink, but when he'd offered to get something for her, she had declined him politely. The meal he had gotten her earlier would last her until she was home, she was sure, and anything else would be relying on him too much.

They made light conversation as the night went on, and if the conversation became too personal for Piper's comfort, Epps, who was generally rather jovial, was careful to steer the topic in another direction. She quickly caught on that he was being sensitive to her case.

 _Well, I guess there's no such thing as "normal" circumstances for a hitch-hiker,_ she thought. _If someone has to resort to traveling this way, it probably means they've met with some bad circumstances._ She wondered how often the man had dealt with people like that.

For a while, she was caught up in that thought, suddenly viewing her position from a different perspective. It didn't matter what she had been through before. Now, she was no different than any other hitchhiking vagrant with a rough past. It was comforting, somehow, to compare herself to others and find that she was in a relatively "normal" situation as far as purely human-based situations were concerned.

They continued south as the clock on the dash read 3:15AM, and Piper felt anxious as she observed the road signs. _Almost to LA,_ she thought. _Almost home._

There had been silence in the cab for a time, and Piper was trying to fight the foggy weariness in her mind as she glanced at the driver. He was staring straight ahead, and as she watched him, she noticed that his jaw was clenched. Moving her eyes down to his hands, she could see they were gripping the wheel with firm persistence despite the near-empty freeway. _Is he tired..?_ Piper wondered. She furrowed her brow.

Feeling the truck move, she glanced out and saw that he was turning off of the freeway, onto an off-ramp that led to the 58 east. Piper was wide awake now.

"No, wait, we need to stay on that freeway. It takes us straight to LA," she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

"Sorry little miss, I've gotta make a delivery here first," he said in his usual tone, although he wasn't looking at her. He hadn't told her anything about this.

"Eh? Whats…" she began, but then she spotted something that had her heart plummeting to her stomach. As they took the nearly 360 degree turn on the circular ramp that merged them with the 58, the truck was momentarily faced toward the long stretch of freeway they had already driven. And coming towards them from behind, although they were a little ways off and could only be seen briefly in their headlights, was a red car and a black pickup. They were the only other vehicles on the road.

 _…It's no coincidence. I've been followed._ Her eyes moved back to Epps. _Or else-_

As she watched the man in her sidelong gaze, she couldn't help but feel her heart fill with dread—and then a feeling akin to betrayal. He was still staring out the windshield as if he hadn't heard her. Swallowing her panic, she took a moment to scrutinize her surroundings as her mind whirled in denial of the possibility. She didn't want to believe that this kind person had fooled her, that everything she thought had been wrong. That she, unknowingly, had been taken prisoner again while being allowed to hope.

 _The truck's interior had been so_ **_clean_** _,_ she realized yet again, and her eyes swept over it in the dark as her first impression came back to her. Her mind worked a mile a minute as she tried to decipher the truth, even as her heart worked against her. She recalled his slip up from earlier, about the truck driving 'himself'.

 _No,_ she thought desperately, _this can't be right, I'm not actually-_ but her suspicions were confirmed when her eyes fell upon the gauges on the dash. Too late, she realized, the hand on the gas gauge was on empty. Epps had just (apparently) filled up, so there was no way that was possible.

 _It's one of_ _ **them.**_ She felt like she'd been punched, like all the air had been sucked from the cab as horror crashed over her.

There was a moment where she didn't move, frozen in shock. She had to think fast. _Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak out,_ she repeated the words in her head. Using every ounce of self-control she had, she tried settling back into her seat as if she were comfortable, composing her features and clearing her throat.

"Okay, so…where are we going?" She asked, attempting at nonchalance. Epps flinched.

"Ah," he said, glancing at her. His eyes gave her a once-over, perhaps checking for any signs of panic as he tried to come up with a response. He must have thought she'd known, but she just blinked at him innocently. Giving her one more hard look and pulling his eyebrows together, he turned back to the road. "The air base over there," he finished, nodding his head toward her window.

Looking out, she could see its' lights out in the distance to the right of them. She didn't have a lot of time.

"Ahh, I see," she said carefully, keeping her voice steady as she tried to come up with something. From her view out the window, she saw headlights coming toward the freeway from the air base. She wondered if they were people, or more of the Autobots heading out to meet them. It didn't bode well for her escape if that were the case.

Moving her eyes downwards to the door next to her, she contemplated how fast she'd have to be to unlock it and pull it open before the "truck" could stop her.

 _That would also depend on if it doesn't already know that I've realized what's happening,_ she thought. She had no choice but to try, or go quietly. In an attempt at keeping the conversation up, she continued speaking.

"You truckers really get around, huh?" she commented offhandedly, resting her elbow against the door in a casual, comfortable manner. "I mean, going from one state to another in one night is really extreme. It sounds like a tiring job," she said.

He nodded, and seemed to be getting comfortable again after his initial worry. "Oh, yeah. But ya know, it's pretty cool too. Get to travel and meet all sorts."

"Huh," she responded, not really listening. "I guess I never really thought of that. Just traveling and driving and…" But she wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying any more, just looking for a good place to jump out. The headlights from the base were closer now, as were the two behind them. "…and you get your own truck too, so that's good. Yeah, who wouldn't wanna…" and then in one swift motion, she unbuckled, flipped the lock and threw her weight against the door, trying to give as little warning as possible.

To her surprise, it opened a bit. She had half expected it not to at all. However, it had caught her midway out and was currently trying to push her back in.

Squeezing into the opening, she heard Epps shouting behind her and felt the truck braking hard. Pushing forward, it seemed that the thing was unwilling to hurt her just as the previous bots had been, and the door gave a bit as it struggled to keep her in without crushing her. She felt Epps's hands grab at the back of her shirt just as she pushed through the opening, yanking herself from his grasp.

Her feet hit pavement but she quickly threw herself onto the sandy earth beyond it, tumbling and putting as much distance as she could between her and the truck. The impact caused the ache in her skull to grow and her ears rang as air was knocked from her lungs. She felt the stinging of road rash on her elbows and shoulders, but she pushed through, struggling to her feet again as she fought dizziness. She bolted away from the road and into the darkness, but the only light she could see for miles came from the air base, a place she was decidedly avoiding. Not only that, but she suddenly realized with horror that the earth she crossed was flat and sandy—no problem for driving over. It was then that she knew she had nowhere left to hide.

"Shit…!"

She heard engines behind her, and the tell tale sounds of transformations right on her heels as she ran desperately, her last ditch attempt at escape even as she knew she would be overtaken. Tears threatened her eyes as she felt the frustration, realized the futility of her efforts thus far. She was going to be taken by their kind again, and it didn't matter to her that they were working with humans. She would be taken and would be at _their kind's_ mercy, and there was no guarantee if or when she'd see her family again.

What was almost worse than that, however, was she'd been fooled into believing. Tricked; lulled into a false sense of security, of hope. And now she was once again a prisoner, and those hopes had been crushed to pieces. She'd been so close—and she hadn't suspected a thing. She felt like a fool.

 _It would have been kinder if they'd just kidnapped me,_ she thought, despair coursing through her. She felt absolutely sick.

Suddenly her surroundings were bathed in light, and then it was over as she was scooped up unceremoniously from behind, feeling warmed metal fingers surround her tightly.

With the last bit of fight left in her, Piper kicked out, scratching and howling incoherently like a trapped animal. The tears that she had been keeping in check so closely ran from her face now, and she screamed obscenities in her rage as she was lifted into the air.

"I just… I just wanted to go _home_! But you _fucking_ …Let me _go!_ You can't do this to me, let me… _go,_ " she managed out, her sentences broken by sobs.

Five Autobots stood around her. It was hard to make our their forms in the dark, even without the light shining into her eyes from the tallest one who was currently holding her up.

"I'm sorry young one," his voice said. She tried looking up at him with bleary eyes from under her unruly bangs. She only made out a pair of blue optics that seemed to watch her with an emotion she couldn't decipher.

Suddenly, the only thing she felt was exhaustion as her fight turned to grief and despair. She went limp in his servo, and her head dropped. Vaguely, she felt more than saw the scan begin over her body by a bot to her left. And then, without another word, the five forms turned and, carrying two men and one unwilling woman, made their way to the air base in silence.

* * *

The doors of the main hangar of the base closed behind them with an echoed _bang,_ and Lennox watched Optimus set the girl gently on the floor where two soldiers and a medic greeted her, ready to escort her to more comfortable quarters. Before they could, however, Epps approached the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. She pulled back as if she'd been burned, but he continued nonetheless.

"Hey, I'm really sorry," he said to her, and she turned slightly toward him. Lennox felt the sincerity of his friend's apology and couldn't help but feel surprised. The man took hardly anything seriously.

But the woman just gazed at him vacantly, as if she could not understand him. She seemed lost, dazed as she absently observed Epps. Her frame was slumped and her shoulders sagged, exhaustion written plainly over her smudged and scuffed face.

"I wish I coulda' taken ya home. For reals," Epps continued in earnest.

At those words her demeanor suddenly changed. It was as if she'd been struck by lightning. She jerked upright and her eyebrows came together, her eyes flashing up at Epps. In a moment, her expression broke, and Lennox could see raw grief cover her features as she opened her mouth to respond. It seemed as if a dam were about to release as the look in her eyes became more desperately frantic, her eyes welling and the tendons in her throat becoming more apparent as she struggled to find her voice. But no words came out as she looked at Epps, and just as quickly as it began she had turned away, hiding her face from view. The question she could not ask was left unsaid as she followed behind the group who escorted her away, but it was pretty apparent what she'd wanted to say.

Trying to view it from her perspective, from the eyes of a person who'd likely had nothing but bad experiences with the Cybertronians, perhaps her confusion stemmed from being unable to understand how they as humans could work with the Autobots. Hell, he ventured to think that if he'd been in her position, the idea would be unfathomable. But Lennox knew the 'bots, knew they were capable of as much good as they were bad, just like humans.

"I feel like shit," Epps said as they watched her small frame leave the hangar.

"She'll see why, someday," Lennox assured him.

"Yeah, but… man, it woulda' been better if she'd been angry, or yelled at me, or trieda' attack me, even. But that right there…" Epps shook his head.

"Betrayal. That was the face of someone who's just had their hopes crushed." Sideswipe commented offhandedly, his voice floating down to them from above and interjecting in the conversation. Lennox turned his head to the red bot who was averting his gaze and staring off disinterestedly, surprised that he'd even been listening.

Sideswipe usually kept to himself, he and his brother both, and Lennox didn't think he'd had more than ten words directed at him from either of them since they'd arrived on Earth. The two of them were currently standing side-by-side, red and yellow bots leaning casually against the wall. Sunstreaker seemed to be observing his brother with just as much interest and surprise as Lennox was.

"At least Optimus and Epps got her here," Ironhide grumbled irritably. "You're just mad because you couldn't do it yourself." Sideswipe seemed to flare up momentarily at this.

"No. For such a squishy-lover, you don't get anything. What that was was cruel, plain and simple. _I_ wouldn't have lied to her. I woulda told the crazy femme plain and simple where we were going, and let her be mad and pout for a while instead of tricking her, lying to her and telling her she was going to go _home_ ," he finished harshly, his voice increasing in volume near the end.

Ironhide was about to refute him and ask if he was questioning their leader's decision when something about Sideswipe's last comment gave him pause. Optimus and Ratchet, who had been conversing quietly in Cybertronian a ways off, stopped as well to give the exchange their attention. Sunstreaker slowly stood up straight from his leaning position on the wall and uncrossed his arms, turning to face his brother in observation. Although the Cybertronian's expressions were difficult to read, if Lennox could hazard a guess, he'd say that it was disbelief showing on the yellow bot's faceplates.

Sideswipes optics moved over the room and he shifted under the gaze of his comrades, as if suddenly aware of his outburst. "…Anyway, I'm just sayin', I didn't think it was right from the beginning. If you wanted the femme's cooperation, anyway," he added uncomfortably.

"Perhaps you are right, Sideswipe," Optimus said, breaking the somewhat awkward silence. "In retrospect, the situation might have been handled differently. Sergeant Epps and I believed it to be the best solution for both our cause and for the girl, but I realize now that our decision might've caused more harm than good," he said, glancing at Epps who just nodded. "There is wisdom in your words," he added, moving his optics back to the mech.

Sideswipe didn't respond except to mumble a "thank you, sir" uncomfortably. Even as the group dispersed, Lennox couldn't help but notice Optimus' thoughtful gaze land back on the red bot once more before leaving the hangar with Ratchet.

* * *

 **So there it is. It was a very interesting chapter for me to write! Piper doesn't manage to slip through their fingers this time, which means the story can start to get going in earnest. I hope you've all been enjoying so far, and that my author's note at the end of the last chapter didn't turn anyone off too badly!**

 **Oh! Just an interesting side-note; I'm taking California Geology at my uni, and we recently learned about the land around Edwards Air Base, where this chapter ends up! The Air Base is on a large salt flat. So when Piper mentions the "flat and sandy" terrain that she attempts to escape across, that's what she's experiencing.**

 **Please keep reviewing! I love all of your thoughts. Even if it's pointing out inconsistencies or things you don't agree with or things that take you from the story, I'd love to hear them. Especially on this chapter, considering it's a somewhat major turning point and it needs to be pretty solid.**

 **Anyway, thank you all for reading, truly, it amazes me that others enjoy my work! All respect for you guys, thanks for your encouragement.**

 **Have a good week everyone! Work hard, study hard, and find fulfillment! 'Til next time,**

 **-PK**


	6. Monsters and Heroes

**Chapter 6, at long last!**

 **The chapters get harder and harder to write as I go, but the good news is that because of that I feel the need to write further ahead, which means I'm getting more of this story finished. I think I'm finally prepared to post this one.**

 **Not a whole lot happens here, Piper's still pretty out of it, lost in her own world. But it's the first step as she tries to figure out who she can trust. Pretty soon though, we'll hear her story. It's all going kind of slowly, but I think that's exactly what I want. It's just not feasible for her to begin developing any kind of relationship or positive connection to any of the Autobots at this point. Give her a break, she's traumatized, got a lot of sh*t to work through right now. I'd rather keep it somewhat realistic-I mean c'mon, a victim of Decepticons isn't about to get involved with another Cybertronian if there is any other option, especially one who's never met a 'good guy' before.**

 **Also! A song I fell in love with while writing this chapter was "Sordid Affair" by Röyksopp. Give it a listen if you feel up to it!**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Piper didn't know how much time had passed as she pressed her face into the pillow.

She had been escorted to a room with a small bed, desk and dresser, and then a doctor had been by to give her a check-up. He seemed to already know what injuries she had, however, and Piper didn't bother to question why. She remembered being informed of having a mild concussion, which she had already vaguely considered, and was given water, crackers and pain medication which sat on the edge of the dresser next to the bed.

Piper then let the medic treat her external injuries without a fight, limply letting him manipulate her body as he examined her wounds.

The man swiped a q-tip briefly in her ear before putting it in a container and sealing it, then replacing it with a device to take her temperature. He asked her to open her mouth and, after shining a flashlight inside, repeated the process. He then took a sharp metal object and, giving her words of reassurance when she initially pulled away, gently scraped beneath her fingernails, tapping the filth into a container before moving on.

After looking at her head wound and disinfecting her more recent injuries from her attempted escape, treating her legs, arms, shoulders and neck, she was given a clean set of clothes, instructed to sleep and was then left alone.

Piper watched the door close and glanced at the tray. Without a second thought, she reached for it, tearing the crackers open and devouring them before downing the pills and the water. She was ready to be rid of the headache that had plagued her for hours. Piper then flopped face-first onto the bed, disregarding the filth her body and clothes were no doubt transferring onto the clean sheets. She had quickly dismissed the idea of changing-she wouldn't be comfortable until she had had a shower.

The room was dark even without the pillow's help, and she vaguely wondered if they expected her to sleep after everything.

In truth, her mind wandered in and out of consciousness. She could feel the effects of the pain medication, which had likely been diagnosed with the purpose of PM use. But her mind resisted sleep nonetheless.

Turning her head, she gazed absently at the wall across from her. Maybe it was how late it was, or how exhausted she felt, or maybe it was because she had a concussion and her body ached all over from being knocked around so much, but a feeling of pessimism crept into her mind and invaded her thoughts. In that moment, she felt that every single thing was wrong.

 _I could have been home by now,_ the thought pricked in her heart. A familiar scene invaded her thoughts then, one she had conjured night after night for months-a hallucination that, she had no doubt, had kept her alive.

The image of her back yard came to mind, her parents sitting together on the porch looking out over the lawn. She could see them pulling off their garden gloves after a long summer day of yard work and sipping on iced tea as they wound down for the evening. In that place, there was so much peace. It was where she needed to return to at any cost.

A pressure had been building behind her eyes as she tried to hang on to the image. But then, as if her body sensed her distress, she felt the pressure of something worse bubbling up from somewhere deep within her mind, and she tensed as she tried pulling her thoughts away from it and back to her parents. _Ah no, my family my family my family…_ she tried to focus on them with renewed vigor, but the harder she tried the more blurry the image became. She felt her lungs constrict as a familiar sensation crept over her.

Instead of her family, swirling visions of glowing optics and people swept past her eyes, and then their voices began speaking, quietly at first, but building on one another until she couldn't distinguish who was speaking.

Lifting her head, she looked anxiously around the room. Everything was dark—but she needed to see. If she couldn't use her eyes, the sounds in her head would only be louder. She needed the visual stimulation or she would have nothing to ground her while she dealt with the onslaught of noise. Scrambling off the bed, she half crawled to where she thought the door had been, seeking the light switch. The screaming had begun, and she heard voices cry out as non-existent cannon fire shook her body.

"No…!" She gasped in alarm as she reached the door, slamming her hands against it and then frantically searching the walls surrounding it. Her body had begun to shiver violently and cold sweat broke over her brow. Everything around her began to disappear as voices and metallic grinding filled her foggy mind with noise. Her nails scraped the walls now as she searched desperately, but the switch evaded her still. They were begging, and she had not noticed when she herself began yelling back at them.

"S-stop! Stop ahh…" she got out between gasps as her body was wracked by the attack. Slumping against the wall, she no longer had the energy to search for the light as she held onto herself, attempting to ride it out.

"Oh god, oh god please somebody make it stop, ah, please please…" she sobbed.

The door opened suddenly, but she barely registered it even as light flooded into the room. Hands were gripping her shoulders, and she began to cry out miserably. "I'm sorry, oh god I'm so sorry, forgive me forgive me I couldn't help…I couldn't do anything, I'm so sorry, please…" she cried out as the hands gently shook her. She heard a voice vaguely, someone trying to cut through all the noise in her head, but she couldn't respond except to beg them for forgiveness. _I let you all die, oh god. I'm sorry, I'm sorry._

She felt weightlessness as her body was lifted, her head knocking against a shoulder. She could see a bleary gray ceiling above her, but her body shook as if she were going into shock. The voice of the person carrying her was calling out loudly now, and she strained to understand what it said. Lights passed closely overhead as she was taken somewhere at hurried speeds, and then the lights were suddenly very far away as the space above her opened up into an even larger area. She tried to focus on her surroundings, but they were soon back in another passage with the lights flashing in front of her face once more.

When the space opened for a second time, she was placed onto an uneven surface made of warm metal, and felt her body being lifted higher than before. She wanted to scream, but her lungs had no air as her stomach began to contract. Her hands came over her mouth. The end of the attack was nearing.

Supported from under her arms, she was set delicately on her knees, legs unable to support her. A medical basin was suddenly placed before her—right on time. She promptly began emptying her stomach into it. Or at least, whatever was left in her stomach—the watery remains of the crackers along with a pair of partially dissolved pills.

As her stomach gave one last contraction, the fog in her mind began to clear and the voices quieted. Slowly, other sounds began to surface through the confusion as she became more alert, awareness creeping into all of her sensory receptors. Blinking the last of the mist from her eyes, she peered around her in confusion for a few moments.

She was in a room similar to the one she had been in not long ago—only, one of the walls was missing, and there seemed to be an even larger room outside of it. It also seemed to be where the light source was.

Still on her knees, she crawled towards it, meeting a tall guard rail when she arrived at the edge. The bars came up to her chest and she used them for support as she stood, but stepped back when she found herself high above the floor of the room.

The best way Piper could describe it would be feeling as if she'd suddenly been shrunk and put into a storage cubby like the children in elementary school classrooms used for their backpacks and lunch pails. Outside the guardrail was a narrow walkway made of metal grating that ran from one side of her field of view to the other.

As she stood in confusion, a man appeared from around the side of her 'cubby'.

"Ah..! You're awake! Had us worried there, uh…" the man didn't seem to know what to call her. She stared blankly at him without answering before recognizing him as the soldier from before. Glancing past him, she could see the 'us' he was referring to on the floor of the large room, peering up at them. It was the man she knew as Epps.

Aware of her reality once again, she averted her gaze bitterly.

"Are you okay?" the man in front of her asked, continuing despite her silence. "I was alerted to your, uh, that there was some disturbance in your room and I… sorry. I thought you might have been attacked or something." He glanced over her head at the basin, and she suddenly felt self-conscious despite herself.

"Not the kind of attack you were thinking, probably," she mumbled, deciding on answering him rather than staying quiet and letting him view her as even more pitiful than she was already feeling. But the man just nodded knowingly.

"Yeah, I get it. You're dealing with some pretty heavy post traumatic stress. You need to take it easy, though it manifests differently with every soldier," he said, his eyes meeting hers sadly.

"I am _not_ a soldier," she snapped back, perhaps a bit harsher than she had intended to. "And I don't have PTSD," she argued, denying the thought so fervently that even to her it sounded childish. _The last thing I need is to have some soldier labeling my personal problems for me,_ she thought miserably.

The man just raised his hands in surrender as he shook his head. "Okay, okay, my bad. It was the doctor who diagnosed you, not me. I was just trying to help." She shot him a look.

"I'm pretty sure that my mental health you seem _so_ concerned about would be better if I hadn't been kidnapped by a bunch of jar-heads and their mother fucking alien _friends_ ," she spat. "And you can go ahead and kindly tell your soldier buddy down there the same," she finished disdainfully. Despite the comment, she did not look back over the edge to where Epps still stood, instead opting to avert her gaze to the wall of her room dejectedly.

His expression turned grim as he looked at her. Instead of acknowledging the comment, he sighed and then continued speaking as if she hadn't said anything.

"You're probably wondering where you are. This is the med wing for the Autobots," he said, gesturing around him. "Their medic, Ratchet, works here. But he's good with humans too, so sometimes when there are soldiers who need to be…observed more closely or need round-the-clock care or something, he'll look after them as well. Considering it's so early in the morning, the base isn't even operational yet… he was the only doctor awake I could reach in short notice," he explained.

Her eyes narrowed at him as he spoke, but inwardly her heart was filling with dread.

"I don't need medical help," she snapped, "and especially not from one of _them_. Let me out," she demanded, holding onto the railing. Unperturbed by her attitude, Lennox continued speaking.

"Hey now, Ratchet might be a little rough around the edges, but he's friendly to humans and completely qualified to treat them. Trust me, you're in good hands with him," he said, and then his eyes shot over her form once. "Not to mention, you can barely stand. You're in no condition to leave here,"

"What the hell do you know," she spat indignantly, releasing the hand railing and doing her best to stand straight. "I was doing fine, would have been better off if you'd left me the hell alone. You think those monsters are _good_? You think you know something about them because you believe what they've told you? Trust me, there are only two sides: theirs and _ours_. You're a fool if you think they'll choose you over their own kind, over their own cause," she said, her voice in a borderline snarl. His mouth pressed into a line, but he kept his composure.

"It's not your fault you feel that way," he responded quietly, and she wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. "After living with the Decepticons, it isn't your fault," he said again. "But the Autobots are different. You'll see. Like humans, their kind can be monsters just as much as they can be heroes. I've seen both sides," he explained, but she just made a face as if to dismiss his words. He continued speaking before she could, however. "You've been away from society for a long time, but you probably remember the giant 'terrorist attack' that happened in Mission City a few years ago. You're probably unaware of this, but since then, a lot has changed in the world. I can't really talk to you about it until the official debrief and when I'm given permission, but…trust me, you'll see. The Autobots might just surprise you," he finished.

She _did_ remember hearing about the mass destruction that happened in Mission City. This tidbit of implied knowledge paused the incredulous retort she had planned, and she took a moment to collect her thoughts. When Piper finally opened her mouth to speak, she was interrupted when the main door to the large room opened.

Ratchet's intimidating form stepped inside, and Piper shrunk back, the conversation forgotten.

Ratchet had left quickly after placing the girl in a room, and Lennox was surprised to see that he had not come back alone. Optimus Prime followed the medical officer into the bay, his optics landing on Lennox and the girl who was quickly moving to the back of her holding room.

"Optimus," Lennox acknowledged, and the prime nodded his way.

"Major Lennox. You are up late," he commented.

"She wasn't feeling well," he replied, and Piper felt immediately irritated. The man turned back to the room, peering in at her when he realized she had moved. Perhaps seeing the tense look of distrust on her face, he sighed, suddenly wondering about the logic of having Cybertronians interact with her so soon. He was no psychologist, but he did understand the power of negative association. However, he hoped that if she could see how he and the other humans interacted with them, it might dispel some of her misgivings about the Autobots over time. He continued despite his uneasiness.

"This might be a good time for introductions. Miss, this is the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime," he began, gesturing to the bot she recognized as the semi truck.

 _That's the leader…? The one who ordered my capture._ Piper eyed the largest Autobot warily, vaguely recognizing his voice from earlier that night. _I'd been with him the whole time,_ she realized, clenching her fists. The thought was unsettling to say the least. The neon bot interrupted her thoughts, however. She assumed he was the medical officer the soldier had mentioned.

"Good to see you have recovered, little one," he commented.

"This is Ratchet, and chief medical officer for the Autobots. You're in his med bay at the moment," the man said.

Ratchet huffed. "If you can call it that," she heard him grumble. The man shook his head and continued speaking.

"And my name is William Lennox, but we mainly use last names around here, so Lennox is fine," he finished. The only acknowledgement she gave to show she'd heard him was a glance his way.

Optimus leaned in suddenly as if to get a better look at her. She scrabbled further backwards and took a defensive stance, not taking her eyes off of the flame-adorned bot. Lennox shifted uncomfortably as he watched, again wondering if this was really a good idea. Optimus, in all his wisdom and for all he cared about the humans, was not always the most aware of the effect he had on them.

Tilting his helm, the leader's blue optics observed the girl's rigid form with quiet interest. Piper stared unblinkingly back, eyes shining in silent furty at being examined.

"I apologize for coming to you during this late hour, young one. However, I was informed by Ratchet about the nature of your ailment and wished to inform you personally that we mean you no harm, and that you may rest without fear while you remain here," he said to her, his voice deep and steady as he spoke. For a moment Piper was confused—and then she realized that he must be talking about her panic attack earlier. It occurred to her that he was probably assuming that the 'nature' of it was anxiety caused by them.

While it wasn't entirely untrue, the root cause had not been the Autobots. Her discomfort at his scrutiny turned to slight indignation as she felt she was being viewed in such a pathetic light. Still, she made no move to correct his assumption. Her throat was constricted, rendering her unable to speak, and her muscles were tensed in a conditioned response to _their_ presence. She hated that she still felt so afraid. She _hated_ it.

She had spent many long months in close contact with the Decepticons, understanding them on a level further than what she had ever wanted to, until they were no longer mysterious or frightening, at least in their foreignness. Sure, she still felt a chill when their optics landed on her, still felt the disturbing sense of unease when they made threats at her. But with the fear of the unknown stripped away and the monsters revealed for what they were, the feelings that lingered and stewed in the pit of her soul became stronger than just fear.

Disgust, hatred, and resentment remained, along with a deep and profound anger that she felt could not be removed from her.

But now, she found herself fighting fear once more as she stared at a being equally as foreign as the Decepticons were during her first close encounters with them. She had come to know Megatron and the others, recognized their facial expressions, understood her boundaries with them and their intentions. The unfamiliarity of this mech with the blue optics had her almost wishing it were one of the Decepticons addressing her. Then she would know how to act.

Stunned at her own thoughts, she was feeling sick all over again as the reality of her own mindset registered. _What has happened to me?_ She wondered despairingly, feeling suddenly terrified at herself. An inkling tugged at the back of her mind, a jolting awareness of an emerging insanity that seemed to have grown inside of her while she was unaware, like a pernicious tumor. She shuddered.

Optimus did not seem to know how to take her silence as varying emotions flitted across the woman's face. Then she froze in horror, her gaze lowering until she was no longer looking at him, but staring blankly toward his chest. Lennox suspected she was somewhere else, no longer seeing any of them. Optimus tried once more.

"It is important that you understand this. No Autobot will ever intentionally harm you or any other human while under my command," he assured her again, and this seemed to do the trick. Jolting upright once more, she watched him with forced concentration, her gaze meeting his optics in a steady stare-off. After a pause, he continued. "What is your designation, young one? What is your name?"

When she did nothing but narrow her eyes at him, remaining crouched like at cat at the back of her room, he seemed to sigh, venting slightly as he watched her patiently.

"It is alright if you do not wish to respond now. However, I must impress upon you the urgency of the situation we are in. There are many who would benefit from any information you may be able to share regarding our mutual enemy. Many humans," he added at the end. "Once you have learned of our intentions here on Earth, I wish that you would quickly decide to consider us your allies," he urged. He watched her for a few more moments before standing, nodding once at Ratchet and Lennox and then turning to exit the room. Lennox, Ratchet and Piper watched him go, but as he reached the door he stopped, turning to face her once more. He seemed to study her for a moment more before speaking again.

"For what you have been through, I apologize," he started. "We came to Earth to protect the humans from the Decepticons. But as we were unable to help you and perhaps many others like you, and that you have had to see things that have given you such terrible night terrors, I humbly beg you for your forgiveness," he said, and then there was a pause where he seemed to consider his words before tacking on, "We will not betray you again, miss Piper Lindley."

Piper visibly flinched at the use of her name, along with the suddenly very personal turn in conversation. He bowed his head momentarily, shuttering his optics before they moved back up to her, taking in the alarm on her face and narrowing his optics sadly. She could do nothing but stare into them as her mind worked.

A bolt of panic ran through her as she realize that they knew who she was. Thoughts of her family's safety entered her mind, and she wondered at their leader, at Optimus's words.

 _Was that a veiled threat to force my cooperation?_ she wondered darkly.

But there was something that gave her pause as she looked at him. Staring into his optics, into that deep and vivid blue, it was the only thing that she found inoffensive about the being in front of her. She could not relate those optics, those _eyes_ to the horrors she associated with the Decepticons. She could not see the malice, the wrath, the alien inhumanity that she had come to recognize. Instead, she was met with an alien gaze filled with emotions equally as foreign to her mind. It should have been a good thing. It made her want to believe him.

It also made her uneasy once more.

Once the leader had left, Lennox reached over the railing at held out a plastic bag to Piper. Pulled from her thoughts, Piper looked at it warily before peaking inside.

"Fresh clothes," Lennox explained as she took it from him. "Epps brought them here from your room," he added. She chose to ignore the last comment. The man in question had already left.

"I'd need a shower, or else there's no point," she responded, finally relaxing enough to speak.

"Behind you," Lennox motioned, jerking his chin toward the right side of her room. Piper glanced behind her and saw the outline of a door off to the side. She hadn't noticed it before. "The bathroom is in there. Shower too," he told her as if she didn't understand. In truth, she wanted that shower in the worst way. However, there was just one thing holding her back now.

Following her gaze to Ratchet, who was tinkering with something and had his back turned to them, Lennox sighed. "Nothing to worry about with him," he told her. "He'll just be here if you need any help."

Hearing Lennox, Ratchet turned. "Just relax, girl. I have some work to do, so bathe yourself and try to rest. There are a few more hours before the base becomes operational," he told her. As if on cue, Lennox went to the side of her cubby and pulled a chain, drawing a thick curtain across the opening and effectively blocking the light.

"I'll be back later with breakfast," he promised, giving her a last reassuring smile before closing the curtain completely.

* * *

 **I liked this chapter because of one very satisfying coincidence that tells me I'm on the right track in developing a strong character base for my OC and Mech. I didn't notice until after I'd written it, but in this chapter Piper says something about the Cybertronians that is very similar to a contemplation Sideswipe had about the humans in chapter 3. The comment was in regards to where the others' loyalty lies at the end of the day. I initially envisioned that Piper and Sideswipe would have similarities, and I wanted to draw parallels between them. But this first one was completely organic and and showed up on the page without any effort on my part. You guys are probably laughing at me but I was totally jazzed.**

 **Also, I'm just going to take a moment to say I've never experienced PTSD, and writing a character who's got it pretty bad will (and has) involved a bit of research on my part, especially in the upcoming chapters. However, I have dealt with pretty extreme and debilitating anxiety attacks since grade school-attacks involving over-stimulation of the senses and hyper-awareness (causing sensitivity to sound and claustrophobia), heart palpitations and breaking into a 'cold sweat' before ending with vomiting. This is about the only thing I can contribute to Piper's ailment, and I've tried to convey it as realistically as possible here. **

**As always, please let me know if you find any mistakes or feel that there is something that takes away or takes you out of the story that I might be able to fix. Constructive criticism is always welcome (AND NORMAL REVIEWS ARE EVEN MORESO!).**

 **As always, I hope your days are fulfilling and rewarding, be it with work, school or other.**

 **-PK**


	7. Loose Ends

**Oh my I am way late! I am posting this from South Korea, I came here to visit a friend. I definitely recommend coming to see the city of Seoul if you ever have the opportunity, this place is amazing.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Lennox made good on his word, and a few hours later he returned with a tray of food. The smell of warm breakfast overwhelmed her senses and she ate ravenously, momentarily forgetting her worries as she downed the meal.

While the shower had been heavenly, rinsing layers of grime and blood from her scalp and body with soap and warm water, her trip to the bathroom had left her unexpectedly shaken. There was a mirror inside the small room, and it had been the first time she'd seen herself clearly in many long and harrowing months. The sight made her feel like weeping even before she removed her clothes. The bruises, scrapes and scars had been expected—but there was something else that left her feeling deeply disturbed, an unexpected change that had occurred without her knowledge. She hardly recognized herself even as she met eyes with her reflection, and yet, the image before her was not an unfamiliar one.

A haunted, pale and hollow-eyed mask seemed to have replaced her once expressive and freckled face, and a new wave of grief ran through her as she realized how evident that damage was in her demeanor alone. Oh yes, she had seen the face in the mirror before, on so many prisoners. She had never imagined what it would look like on herself.

It was if her body had become a visual representation of all that had happened to her. She felt as if the Decepticons were having the last laugh as she was forced to carry herself with a new appearance _they_ had made for her, reminding her of them and of the horror she had endured even as she took in her own reflection, her own ghostly complexion, deepened scowl and stiff stance.

She left the bathroom feeling bitter and resentful, the excitement of having a shower effectively dampened. For this reason, Lennox's arrival with breakfast could not have had better timing.

Lennox watched the girl, Piper, devour her food with hardly a glance his way after setting it before her. Wearing army briefs and a black t-shirt, she sat cross-legged on the bed and seemed to forget about his presence as she ate.

He was beginning to suspect that she was ignoring him on purpose as she all but licked the plate clean. However, now finished with her food, he was startled when suddenly she turned to him, her eyes flashing to his. Setting the empty tray to the side, she adjusted her position and cleared her throat. Full and comfortable, it seemed she was at last prepared to speak.

"Thank you for the food," she began. Her suddenly polite words caught him off guard, but not minding the lack of hostility, he nodded.

"No problem," he said.

"Now, I want to know if you're still willing to make good on your promise." It came out of the blue, and it was not a question.

"Eh?" Lennox found himself caught off guard, taking a moment to register what she had asked him. Her face was all-business.

"If I cooperate and speak with your officials, help the Autobots and give them information, will you return me to my family afterwards? If that offer still stands, I want to do so as soon as possible," she clarified, not breaking eye contact with him.

He was suddenly nervous. He had said something like that to her before, he remembered. But he was still in no position to make promises like that with authority, and while at the time he had hoped that that sort of situation would be possible, he had been more intent on bringing her in than anything else.

"I don't actually have the power to make that decision myself, but…what I _can_ promise you is that I will try to make that happen," he said, leveling with her.

"So you lied to me," she stated.

"No, I meant what I said! And even if it was a lie, I knew you'd be better off here with the Autobots than out there."

"Figured you were doing me a favor?" Her eyes narrowed as she said it, but just as quickly her expression changed as she sighed. "Forget it," she continued. "I want you to make it happen. I would like to speak with these officials you mentioned. And then I want to go home."

Leaning back in his chair, it was Lennox's turn to sigh. Her mindset had made a complete 180 now that she'd adapted to her new circumstances. Her position had changed, yes, but it was clear that her goal had not, and it appeared she was working toward it once more with renewed determination.

"If not you, than who should I speak to about this?" She continued, discouraged by his lack of response.

"No, no! I'm sorry," he started. "You're speaking with the right guy, I'm the head of NEST, which means I can set up the meetings that you're asking for. However, I don't have the final say when it comes to handling citizens who've been exposed to the big guys," he told her. She stared at him blankly.

"NEST?" Piper inquired.

"Non-biological Extra-terrestrial Species Treaty," he replied easily. "It's basically a task force under the Pentagon that is made up of Autobots and a select group of US soldiers. A highly _classified_ task force, mind you. And I am the head of it," he stated a little proudly before continuing. "NEST is in charge of defending the world against the Decepticons—that's the main purpose. Sometimes that means fighting them in battle, but it also involves the gathering of intelligence as well," he told he, and she listened intently.

"Therefore," he continued, "While the information you know _technically_ falls under my jurisdiction as Cybertronian intel, since the source is a human being with rights, the Pentagon has to be informed and _they_ will be the ones to assess you for security risk. In short, my team deals with battle and intelligence gathering, but the higher-ups handle the public and cover-ups."

"So that means…until I am assessed, I can't leave here."

"That's right."

"What about a phone call to my family?" She pressed. He frowned.

"Sorry. Until you've been assigned a cover-story, you won't be allowed to speak with them. That's also not my area," he added.

Piper took a deep breath in, then out again.

"Then, do they even know I'm alive…? I know you know who I am, so has anyone contacted them...?" She asked hesitantly. For a moment, her professional and emotionless expression broke just a bit, mouth stretching into a line as she looked at him almost imploringly.

He smiled sadly before reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder. "They'll know soon enough, I swear. If you were a minor, it'd be different, but since you're not we can't contact them for you. Right now, the more you help us, the more we can help you." He hadn't meant it to sound like he was strong-arming her into it, but when she flinched out of his hold, he realized how she must have heard the comment.

The explosion of anger that he was expecting didn't happen, however. Instead, she seemed to become thoughtful. Her face became the unreadable mask once more as she considered things, eyes narrowing slightly. Before, he had seen just a glimpse of vulnerability in her expression—but it was gone already, like a flash of lightning. _Back to her scheming then, of that I have no doubt,_ Lennox thought darkly.

He had heard from both Optimus and Epps about her escape attempt, and after what happened with Sideswipe, Lennox felt he was beginning to understand some things about the young woman.

She was perceptive and had a talent for manipulation, it seemed. The girl could easily compartmentalize her emotions and kept her actions carefully controlled—an ability that enabled to her to think quickly under pressure and throw off her enemies, and an ability, Ratchet had speculated, that had surfaced with the emergence of her survival instincts. He surmised that the control she mandated on herself was also largely responsible for the severity of the anxiety attack she experienced, as the suppression of emotion and reaction, while useful in times of stress, could easily lead to hyper-awareness and over-stimulation of the senses in times of relaxation.

In the end, it was all just aftershocks of her ordeal, PTSD no matter how Lennox looked at it.

Regardless, Lennox knew the young woman was a force to be reckoned with—even watching her now, he could tell she was orienting herself toward her goal, preparing use whatever was at her disposal to charge forward single-mindedly, setting aside fear and distraction as he'd seen her do in the past. Lennox was sure that it was this resourcefulness and tenacity that had helped her survive for so many months in the Decepticon's 'care'. She hadn't lost sight of what she was aiming for, rather, her determination was probably stronger now than ever evenas she was taking a more cooperative approach.

The girl was a soldier, even if she didn't think so herself.

"So then," she said, clearing her throat and interrupting his thoughts. "I need to speak with officials from the Pentagon. When can I meet them?" She asked. Lennox blinked. She was back to business.

"Actually, you'll be speaking to us both. The Autobots and I will conduct your debriefing first, as we are in charge of gathering intelligence. But after that, the higher-ups will ultimately have the final say in your release. The debriefing with us can happen whenever you're ready, but I'll need to make an appointment with the Homeland Security Counsel before you'll be able to meet with them," he finished.

Piper took a minute to respond to that, staring at the man in front of her almost wonderingly for a few moments. The Autobots, those _aliens_ really had become a true part of her government. It seemed like lunacy to her, the idea of _their kind_ and humans in a symbiotic relationship. But here was this soldier in front of her who described to her quite clearly a true alliance, of another side she had thought impossible.

"…Since when has… _all this_ happened?" she found herself asking, gesturing around her. He seemed to understand what she was saying though, the corner of his mouth turning up just a bit.

"NEST was started about two years ago, after the 'bots arrived," he explained. He did not bother to tell her of the group that came before them or of their experiments with 'NBE-1'. Sector Seven was no longer around, anyway.

"So, it's true that nobody really knows about them? _How?_ " She asked, pure disbelief lacing her voice. They were giant robots, and even in their flashy alt forms, there was nothing subtle about them. Not to mention that the idea of the government hiding the knowledge of aliens while they fell short in so many other ways made the whole idea seem terribly unrealistic.

But Lennox just shrugged bemusedly. "That's why the Pentagon handles the cover-ups, not me. It isn't my problem, although I do get some pretty nasty threats thrown my way every time one of the 'bots takes it too far. You wouldn't _believe_ how they gripe about the dismissal of a couple of speeding tickets… although, the car-chase incident that ended up being nationally televised _was_ pretty bad," he said and winced, clearly recalling the situation in question.

While he hadn't really addressed her inquiry, his last comment left her curious. She couldn't help but remember the red mech who had initially found her in the mountains. It was the first time she'd thought of the egotistical bot since ditching him in Winnemucca, and a new question was escaping her lips before she realized it.

"It wasn't that Lamborghini, uh, Sideswipe, was it?" She asked, before mentally berating herself for her interest in the matter. Lennox raised his eyebrows at her in surprise but didn't comment other than to answer.

"No," he told her, "that particular time it was actually his twin brother."

Her mind reeled at this information despite her silent commands to stay focused. The thought had never crossed her mind that their kind might have family ties like humans did.

Not noticing the smile that began to form on the soldier's face as he watched the gears turn behind her concentrated expression, she was still trying to formulate a question in her mind when he stood, indicating his imminent departure.

"Duty calls," he said, glancing at his watch.

"What time is it?"

"Almost 5:30," he told her. "I can stop in for lunch, but if there's anything you need until then, feel free to talk to Ratchet," he said and paused. "Besides-" he faltered before continuing, "-Besides, it might be good to talk to him, anyway. Might be able to help with your…condition. Then maybe you can be released earlier," he finished.

"No thanks," she snapped. Her eyes narrowed, focusing on the curtain that was still closed, as if she could see Ratchet on the other side.

He winced. "Normally, in… _sensitive_ cases like these where civilians are involved, the US government is required by law to provide counseling and professional emotional help to victims of war," he stated, but then he sighed. "Unfortunately, your case is a horse of a different color entirely. Since you've managed to find yourself with security compromising and, might I add, _highly_ _classified_ knowledge, we aren't able to provide you with the emotional support you may want or need," he said. "Ratchet is qualified in all medical fields, so he could technically help you. But don't think I don't realize the insanity of asking you to have a therapy session with a Cybertronian after… everything."

Her eyes hadn't left the curtain, and her scowl grew as he finished speaking. Checking his watch once more, he huffed before speaking once more.

"All I mean to say is, it might be good for you to talk to one of them. Make contact with them, understand them. Maybe it'll help with the discomfort of being around them. Any one would be fine, just…if you're feeling up to it, it wouldn't hurt to give it a try," he said before giving her a final hard look and turning to leave.

She finally looked up at his retreating form. Although she disagreed with him, feeling that the best thing for her would be to go home and never see another Cybertronian ever again, she felt he was, at least, sincere in his concern. If he had turned back around, he would have seen the conflict in her expression as she watched him go. Indecision swam inside of Piper until her eyes landed on the empty tray of food that Lennox was carrying out. Guilt seeped into her then, and she made her choice.

"W-wait!" she called out. He had just closed the curtain behind him when he heard her, and poked his head back into her space. He held a questioning look on his face but said nothing. Clearing her throat, she started over.

"Wait. There's something I need to tell you," she started. Taking a moment to gauge his expression, her dark eyes boring into his as if she were attempting to see into his mind, she forced herself to continue. "Up on that mountain where you found me…I was separated from the group I was traveling with. We all escaped together, and as far as I know, they're still up there somewhere. I wasn't sure before, but now... I'm telling you. So please," she said firmly, and then swallowed hard to keep her voice from wavering, "will you find my companions?"

It looked like he'd been gobsmacked, and shock crossed his features as he stepped back into the room. "How many are there?" he asked her seriously.

"Five, not including me. Three men and a woman, and one little girl," she told him. He stood still, staring hard at her for a few long moments more before nodding his head firmly.

"I'll need your help, but we will find them," he told her, determination flashing in his brown eyes as he said the words. "For now, try to rest and don't worry. I'll be back at lunch, I need to make some preparations. And then we can work on retrieving your friends," he finished.

* * *

Sideswipe frowned at the image on the screen before him.

Ten days had passed since he had come across the woman in the mountains, and for ten days he tried very hard to forget about her. However, his brother had given him a hard time after witnessing his foolish outburst upon the femme's capture. He had quickly regretted voicing his opinion on the matter, but at the time, he had been struck by the little human's continued struggle to escape, especially after she had managed to break loose from Optimus's hold.

His initial impression was that she was a proud creature who took pleasure in annoying him. She had fought him every step of the way, and when she could not fight, simply made herself into an intolerable nuisance until she knew she was treading on his last circuit wire. He remembered the feel of being played, realizing in hindsight the game she had set up as he recalled those dark, shining orbs that were her eyes. The smug expression she wore just before he expelled her from his interior. At the time, he had been so angry that he knew he never wanted to lay optics on the infuriating little femme ever again. He had not been able to see her as a victim, despite knowing her feelings toward the Decepticons and feeling angered that she treated him as if he were one as well.

But something had changed when she was captured by Optimus just outside of the air base. It should have been satisfying to see her plans thwarted. But the femme, who had been so controlled and proud before, had screeched and yowled in piercing cries when she knew she was captured. Sideswipe had been startled. The wails broke into whimpers as she was lifted, and something twisted in his spark as her small body was wracked with despair. It had truly been a pathetic sight, but the whole thing had had him feeling deeply bothered.

It wasn't as if he'd wanted her to escape. After all, he had made it his mission to capture her himself after she had initially slipped away. But at the sight of her terrified and desperate struggle at the end, he'd almost felt…disappointment for her sake, perhaps. Disappointment that she had not succeeded and was finally brought in, despite her fierce persistence. And the fact that she had been caught while being deceived only left him feeling more uncomfortable about the whole thing. He could not pinpoint exactly why.

 _[Just what are you stewing about over there?]_ Sunstreaker probed their bond. Sideswipe looked up at his brother who was giving him a sidelong glance.

"Nothing," he responded aloud without realizing, turning his attention back to the monitor as his brother watched him with mild surprise.

It was the first time he had laid optics on the femme since that night.

She looked a bit different now that her flesh and clothes were not covered in filth. The short hair on her head was no longer matted, but seemed to have taken on a softer, more buoyant quality as wavy tufts of the stuff sprung up here and there and were continually being pushed behind her ears.

She also seemed to have settled back into her familiar act of defiance, he noted. Although she had agreed to hold the debrief, she had refused to speak until she had been briefed about the Autobots in exchange. The human called Lennox had received permission from Optimus to inform the girl of all that had happened between their two species since the Allspark's arrival on Earth vorns before. This was what was currently taking place on the video feed before him.

Lennox and the girl were in a small room next door to their position in the hangar, and Sideswipe watched the exchange with interest. Sunstreaker, Ratchet, Optimus, Ironhide and Prowl stood by, watching as well and waiting for her to speak after Lennox finished. She made no comments during Lennox's story, revealing nothing of her own thoughts or experiences as he continued. But she would ask the occasional question, sometimes inquisitive and probing, and a few times Lennox would have to consult Optimus or Ratchet.

It had been decided that she would be debriefed without the presence of the Autobots, although she was aware that they were watching, and any questions that they might want to ask her (or vice versa) would be directed through an earpiece that Lennox wore. This was supposed to allow for a low-stress environment for the girl, who had, despite the soldier's advice, not attempted to make contact with any of the Autobots by her own volition even after being released from the medbay and given provisional access to the rest of the base.

The humans that the girl had spoken of, the other former Decepticon prisoners, had been successfully located by a troupe of human soldiers who had been sent out to retrieve them. The femme had gone over a map with Major Lennox and had given the soldiers instructions on where her companions might be found, along with information about the Decepticon base's possible position. Not ten hours later, word was sent back to the base of their safe rescue, and Bumblebee, Mirage and Jazz had been sent out to perform recon on the area. Normally, Optimus would have sent him and his brother as well, but for some reason he had not asked. Sideswipe was grateful to be present for the the debriefing and had not offered, either.

Jazz and Bumblebee had found the remains of the base, which seemed to have been hidden in the side of a mountain. However, it was devoid of any life forms.

That had been more than five days ago, and the escaped humans had been sent to a medical facility not far from where they were found at the base of the mountains. Much to Sideswipe's chagrin, he had also heard that they went with the human soldiers without a struggle, and was told that they would not be informed of the Autobots or their involvement with the human government. He wasn't sure if it was luck or misfortune that caused the girl in their care to be found by them. While it meant she and her friends had been saved from the forest sooner, it also meant she could not go home as the others could.

Which is exactly what had happened when in the week that followed their rescue, the group was treated, debriefed and then sent home without ever having to set foot on the Autobot base or know of their existence at all. As far as they knew, the evil alien robots who'd kidnapped them were being taken care of by the government, and after giving their consent on the non-disclosure procedures, were able to resume their lives almost like nothing had happened.

The girl had not asked to see them, seeming to understand the situation. She had only asked that they be informed of her safety. A few of them, an older man and the one woman, had even offered her their thanks; "For sending the rescue, and so much more," the man had said, and his words had been relayed back to the woman. However, what the 'much more' was for was unclear at first.

They began to understand when the debriefs began. For six days after their rescue, the former prisoners went through debrief, a slow process that was done in intervals and required delicacy. Sideswipe had watched the remote feed for the first few debriefs closely, but it quickly became apparent that the humans in question knew very little about the Decepticons themselves, and nearly nothing at all about the Autobots-even the name. He felt it was strange, considering the young woman had seemed to recognize it after some thought. Not only that, but the blade she had wielded in the forest was also evidence to suggest that she might know more about their kind than the others did. He mentioned it to Optimus, who nodded curiously before returning his attention to the continued debriefing.

The humans had been forced to mine, and were told to find specific minerals that they had been taught to identify, but the reason for it was unknown. This work was overseen primarily by Barricade, and he seemed to be the one they encountered most—followed by an unnamed silver Decepticon who could transform into a helicopter. The Autobots suspected that this was the Decepticon Blackout. Starscream was seen every now and again as well, and the humans felt that Barricade and Blackout received orders from him. More Decepticons had arrived later on, but the humans had made their escape before learning much about them.

A trend was beginning to show, however, when the humans were asked about the young woman named Piper. While they appeared to respect her greatly, none of them seemed to know what her purpose was at the Decepticon base. They claimed that she did not work with them in the mine, and that aside from seeing her from afar, rarely spoke to her—"Except for when she'd sneak in to talk to us", the oldest man had informed the officer running the debrief. It seemed she had been kept separate somehow, but they had all claimed that she had been there since before their arrival.

They also knew very little about the blade she used. One had suggested that she'd stolen it from the Decepticons, but the idea was quickly dismissed. Ironhide had inspected the blade and concluded that the Decepticons would not have carried a weapon that was made quite obviously for human use. He suspected it was made intentionally, and fitted to them femme specifically-either made for her or by her, which only led to more questions as to _why_.

They mentioned another prisoner who was like her, a man they called 'Al' who had been kept separate from them as well, but he had had no such weapon and was killed during their escape—an escape that had been somehow facilitated by the two of them. The details on how it had been carried out, however, were vague. This particular memory seemed to bother them greatly, but they spoke of the girl's bravery and of her fight to protect them from Starscream at the end.

The sparkling-the _child_ -had been debriefed with the older woman present, who seemed to bring her comfort. She, after some coaxing, had no new information to offer except to say, from what he could understand of her often incoherent speech, that Piper had buried them in the mud to hide from Starscream. It seemed that no one else had survived in the open.

 _Remarkable_ , Sideswipe had thought at this. Outsmarting a seeker was no small feat. Perhaps sensing the change in emotion, Sunstreaker looked his way, but this time his expression was more confusion than amusement. _[Shut up,]_ Sideswipe snapped even before his brother could say anything. Sunstreaker rolled his optics.

This news seemed to have been a shock to the woman, who told officer that she had been sure that there were no survivors behind them after she and the other three men entered the forest. She had been unaware of how Piper and the child survived when they found them, saying, "Anyone who hadn't made it out of the clearing before Starscream appeared was killed. It was...I can't describe what it was like, it was so awful, so many had fallen, and-" she broke off, looking down at the girl before continuing more quietly. "But I was _sure_ ," she reiterated, and held the child closer to her as fluid fell from her eyes. It took a moment for Sideswipe to realize that she was feeling guilt for abandoning the child, and he felt somewhat awed by the display.

Though he had felt disappointment upon realizing that none of these prisoners likely knew anything of much value about their enemy, he was surprised to find himself looking forward to the next debrief feed.

The humans, such ephemeral and fragile creatures, seemed to feel things with much more depth than he had initially assumed. He watched the feed each day with interest, even though he was often witnessing painful displays of grief and sorrow. But there was a complexity to them that made him curious. As he watched, he wondered how these creatures continued to struggle through their short lives, aware that they would be facing death once more in less than a vorn anyway. What was the point? What was the point of even helping them?

By the time the last of the five had been debriefed and were given clearance to return home, the human's vague knowledge of their enemy left Sideswipe with more questions in his processor than answers. And he had the irritating feeling that the femme held the answers they wanted.

Sideswipe had to keep himself from speeding to the human quarters and smashing a ped through her door, demanding answers. However, it became an unnecessary musing when, not long after the news that the last of her fellow prisoners had been safely released, the femme in their possession agreed to have her own debriefing.

And there they all stood in the hanger together, the Autobots around him watching the monitor with anticipation as Lennox finished his briefing of the events of two years ago. Even Optimus, who was ever patient, had been looking forward to this with great curiosity. He did not need to tell them to remain quiet during this debriefing, and they all watched intently.

Lennox's briefing had been rather uneventful aside from the occasional question from the woman, but as he neared his conclusion with the death of Megatron, the girl began showing signs of concealed agitation. Her eyebrows furrowed and the tendons in her neck stood out briefly as she swallowed, shifting in her seat.

"A bit strange," Ratchet commented, but made no move to continue speaking.

"Something the matter?" Lennox's voice came through the speakers as he spoke to the girl. She seemed to be having difficulty breathing, not moving as she held the air in. And then she expelled it quickly, slumping a bit as she did so.

"And then what?" She asked suddenly.

"What? And then here we are, still looking for the rest of them," he told her. She shifted again, agitation running across her face as she stared at the man across from her.

"No, I mean what about Megatron?" She pressed.

"I told you, when Sam put the AllSpark in his chest, he died. Then the rest of the 'cons scattered. That's why anything you can tell us about his comrades might be helpful. Especially if Starscream has taken leadership and they're organizing themselves again," he explained with patience, prompting her to begin her own story.

But the woman's agitation had become full-on frustration. She was watching him with confusion on her face, and then she diverted her gaze downward, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the table before her.

"So…you're saying you killed Megatron...?" she asked, uncertainty in her voice as she looked back up at him.

"Yes. He is no longer a threat. Now, why not tell me what happened after you were picked up by the Uber driver?" He asked her, prompting once more.

She had moved her eyes back to the table, but now she held a conflicted expression as she examined her hands. Swallowing, she took a breath and looked back up at him, preparing to speak.

"I didn't know it wasn't an Uber driver at first. Not until I realized the driver was a hologram," she said hesitantly. "I think it's how a lot of people were collected… he'd pick up people as he went around. Though I'm not sure what he was doing so far from the base," she said.

Thanks to her they had a rough idea of where the base was located, but Optimus had had no doubts that it would be abandoned by the time they arrived. Nonetheless, a team would go investigate once Mirage, Jazz and Bumblebee returned from their mission. They could not afford to leave the air base unprotected.

"At first I worked in the mines with the others. We were monitored by Barricade and sometimes Blackout too. People who became injured or made a mistake, or even people who couldn't work fast enough were…" she trailed off, expression hardening before she started speaking again. "A lot of them died there. I felt like it wasn't long for me, either. I'd seen a man with the Decepticons before, Al, and it looked like he had some other job outside of the mines. At first I didn't think anything of it, and I wasn't jealous, either. Nobody wanted any unnecessary attention from the…" she froze up again.

Lennox gave a few quiet words of encouragement, but she just waved her hand at him, shutting her eyes tightly and inhaling sharply. After a few more moments, she released her breath in one ragged expulsion. Then, her eyes opened. She flicked them to the camera before squaring her shoulders, steeling herself. With one more intake of air, she began again.

* * *

 **Hello! A litte more information given. Not much to say, except that I have the next few chapters roughly written up, so expect updates-although they might be a bit irregular until I return from abroad. I'm heading to Japan next week, so maybe I can sneak one more in before my circumstances change and my routine here in Seoul gets shaken up.**

 **More in store, hope you guys are enjoying it! As always, feel free to point out anything that takes away from the story.**

 **I hope your days are fulfilling, be it with work or school or whatever else!  
**

 **-PK**


	8. Until the Next Tomorrow

**Hello! Wow, what a long time it's been. Alas, I had no time to polish this chapter before heading to Japan, and when I got back to the states I immediately began a new quarter at school and a new job, which means my time has been limited. (I guess it's only fair, after having such amazing travel opportunities. Back to the grindstone!).**

 **Anyway, here's the next chapter, the longest one yet at almost 7,000 words. Hope this makes up for so much lost time. Starting the story of Piper's time in 'Decepticon care', so I wanted to get the bulk of it out of the way in one go.** **Enjoy.**

* * *

She was at the bottom of a hole. A hole in a cave inside of a mountain.

She and the other prisoners had been mining mineral veins from stone for many days. The hole had begun somewhat shallow and wide, and they were forced to mine outwards from the center, creating caves that spread in every direction from the middle column. When they were finished, a decepticon would use a blast cannon to break the hard stone at the center of the hole. The humans would then mine any veins in the broken earth and remove it via kart, removing the leftovers until the hole was about another 10 feet deeper, and then repeating the process one level lower in the earth. The 'hole' had grown into a pit that had rings of ledges that led up to the surface, with smaller caves branching outwards in every direction, on every level. It was similar to an inverted building that was about 4 stories high.

Piper knew it had been late September when she was kidnapped, and at her home in Simi Valley, the warm weather had persisted and probably would continue into late October. The city she lived at for university, San Luis, had been no different.

However, wherever she had been taken was much colder. She knew that they were in the mountains someplace and wondered how far she had been taken. Piper had quickly passed out in the back seat of the thing's cab, but from what her watch said as she observed it later, a day had passed since she had been picked up. That discovery had made her give up on wondering where she was—they could have been miles away from her college town by then.

Her first memory after waking was of the cold floor beneath her as she lay in the main cavern of the Decepticon base, shivering and twitching and unable to stand. She knew she'd been gassed. Barricade made himself known then, transforming above her, but she could do nothing as the car she'd been in turned into a _giant robot_ that towered over her prone form.

"Welcome to the Decepticon base," he told her. "Here, you will work until you die. However, your body is in good condition, so try to work hard while you can."

Horror had been the most prominent feeling as she lay there listening to the thing, the horrible sci-fi movie villain that glared at her with it's glowing red eyes. She had shut her own tightly, blinking them open again several times. _I must be dreaming,_ she'd thought. _This isn't happening to me._

When he had finished speaking, he scooped her up none too gently and took her to a somewhat smaller area. She wanted to scream, but her body was still trying to come back to the realm of functionality after being poisoned, and she was unprepared when he lowered her to the floor. Tilting his hand, she rolled off of it and onto her stomach with an _oomph_.

The presence of human life in the space they had arrived in was foremost apparent. She pushed herself up shakily onto her elbows as she peered about. Rags and clothes littered the floor in a way that was almost nest-like. Against the back wall was a stream that bubbled out from under a wall and disappeared on the other side of the room. While Piper would learn that the stream was certainly useful to the humans, it also meant that the air was terribly cold and damp.

Before she'd been kidnapped, she had gone out shopping with some friends straight from class. However, as she glanced around, she found that her backpack was missing. It held her wallet, schoolwork and, most importantly, her cell phone, so she was grieved to find it gone.

"The sedative should be wearing off now," the monster said from behind her, and his voice was unnervingly close. With some effort, she flipped over and tried to scramble backward away from him. He only huffed in bored amusement. "Good. You will join the others soon. But first, I should warn you of what will happen to you if you try and escape," he said, and suddenly there was warmth in Piper's face as she stared at the glowing interior of what she could only assume was a cannon of some kind. "It has a most unique effect on your kind," he told her, his glowing eyes narrowing as he looked at his cannon, as if tempted to use it. "Perhaps you will see soon enough. I tend to use it liberally."

At first, she had learned the names of her fellow prisoners, and tried to connect with them as they worked, encouraging them to remain hopeful of escape or rescue. Some had responded positively, recently imprisoned themselves. But what had haunted Piper were the ones who didn't respond, the few of the group who seemed to stare past her as she tried to speak with them. Their hollow expressions left foreboding feelings in her heart that she could not shake. She would soon understand why.

On her first full day of work in the mines she learned what Barricade's cannon could do to humans. To watch them vaporize before her eyes after making even the smallest misstep, the deep red scorched residue plastered onto any nearby surface or person-it had traumatized her instantly. The first night after it happened she could not sleep, and when she did there were nightmares of the heated cannon buzz. It was beyond thinking about, the woman she had been speaking with simply...ceased to exist.

Piper had discovered the residue on her skin when she returned to their sleeping quarters and had scrubbed it until her flesh burned from the abuse. Nobody said anything. The newer ones, like Piper, were shocked to silence. And she knew then why there were those who could no longer communicate. It was how they dealt with the nightmare that they were living.

After the first few weeks, most of the prisoners she had met initially had been killed. Those who remained no longer communicated. They, in turn, became the haunted, hollow-eyed prisoners who lived with the image of their own deaths in front of them. They worked without speaking, as if they had become robots themselves.

Piper had briefly continued trying, greeting new prisoners with quiet words of comfort and advice. But by the end of the first month, when none she had met upon her arrival remained alive, she stopped. She was the last.

Seeing the other prisoners die by his cannon no longer frightened her as it had, however. She hadn't needed to comfort them as they passed, did not need to see their bodies or look into their frightened eyes. They were simply there and then gone, snuffed out of existence with finality that brought a comfort of sorts to Piper as she continued working. It was quick and practical and sometimes, she thought, it was even mercy. She just hoped that when it was her turn she would not see it coming.

What _did_ bother her was when she began to feel Barricade's optics on her. She knew she hadn't escaped his notice, her continued presence meaning that she was becoming memorable. Each time she realized he was watching her she felt fresh fear course through her like no other. _He is waiting,_ she thought in renewed horror that the passage of time could not numb. He was waiting and it was making her crazy.

By then, the most contact she had with the other humans was at night, when they instinctively huddled together to sleep in the freezing cavern that they inhabited. And even then they did not speak, did not recognize each other, just slept. An added or lost person was not acknowledged, although Piper could only hope that any newcomers would cry quietly so that she could rest. She no longer had the energy for sympathy despite knowing that she too had cried through her first few nights. She had not been used to the manual labor and her body had hurt too much to sleep even without the despair of her situation. Her hands had bled and blistered until the calluses had formed and hunger raked at her stomach because of the irregular deliveries of canned food.

If a new prisoner _had_ been crying too loudly for her to sleep, however, it was this time that she used to imagine the scenarios she could conjure to get herself vaporized. As the days wore on and Barricade's watchful optics strayed to her more frequently, she felt insanity working it's way into her mind as she took the weight of his attention, felt the palpable anticipation of her demise as she outlasted her companions through sheer force of will.

She wondered vaguely if she'd be able to feel it when it happened, or if it would be as instantaneous as it appeared to be. Perhaps she would trip and injure herself, she imagined, or perhaps she'd make a mistake and zap, just like that, she would no longer be there. Even the most passive act of defiance would be enough.

 _Or maybe he'll just kill me without provocation for simply being alive too long_ , she thought.

However, there was a line with these thoughts that she wouldn't allow herself to cross. As soon as her thoughts became too dark, too real, she would catch herself. Forcing her mind in a different direction, she would imagine something else, she would pretend. She would remember her family.

Piper would begin with their faces and work from there. When she had them envisioned, she would begin to place them in familiar settings. Always, the image of her parents sitting on the back porch would form first. Their backs to her, the iced tea, the dirty garden gloves, the grimy work clothes, and then the setting sun. After that, she'd add in sound. Her parent's voices, the soft murmurings of evening conversation, the _plat_ of a tennis ball as it was bounced off of concrete, the jingle of their dog's collar as it lunged to catch it.

She'd begin adding on, whatever she could think of, pushing memories of home to the forefront of her mind as she blocked out the muffled sounds of crying that echoed off the walls, the dripping of water off stone ceiling, the breathing of the bodies around her. Anything to keep her sane, keep her focused and working. She pressed her memory.

 _Sophie,_ Piper thought. _Sophie comes out then._

There would be a soft but discernable _creak_ as the back door opened up. Her older sister had come over to visit, joining her parents on the porch. She was lightly griping about something, but there was humor in her voice. Their mother complained as Sophie tried to take a drink from her tea. From there, the scenario would change and wander, irrelevant and unimportant events passing through her mind that she held so dear to her heart.

She kept these images in her head, the sounds of home and the faces and voices of her loved ones, until sleep finally caught up with her. _I will not die tomorrow,_ she told herself. It would be her last thought before she fell into the unconscious.

Barricade and Blackout would take turns leaving the base, although for what reason she wasn't sure. However, they'd return each time with more prisoners in tow. Barricade was never away as long as Blackout was, so the bulk of their work was overseen by him.

"He cannot do the simplest tasks at any speed above a crawl," Piper had heard Barricade mutter once in disgust.

Of course, she had not known their names at the time—but she would learn all of them and more later on. Her month in the mines had been a time of confusion and fear, where she knew the Decepticons only as monsters or weaponized robots, mysterious beings they addressed as either 'the silver one' or 'the black one' for Blackout and Barricade, respectively. Their field of work provided them even less access to learning about the beings that held them captive, as much of the time they were underground.

However, they were not completely cut off from the goings on of the monsters around them. Piper would watch them when they were together, listen to them speak—whether or not it was English or the rapid clicking and whirring that made up their own tongue. And every now and then, a different robot would enter, a rare sighting that always made Piper pause what she was doing. It was a risky action, but the new robot always commanded the others' full attention.

What intrigued her about this robot, however, was not his authority—if she'd given it any thought, she might have wondered if there was some higher-up robot calling the shots. But no, what interested her was the human who could often be seen clutched in his hand when the third robot was near. He would come out every now and then with the robot to collect canned food from the stash, and then Piper wouldn't see him for awhile.

However, she had been considering him quite a bit. It was always the same man, probably in his 30's, average appearance with dark hair and eyes. And he was always by himself. This meant he'd been singled out for some reason and was not being replaced no matter how much time passed. The robot he was with didn't seem to want to let him out of his sight, either, and Piper could only guess that he was just as much a prisoner as the rest of them.

Why, then, was he singled out? And what had he done to warrant it? A few short days after the first month of her stay, she found out.

* * *

Sideswipe watched the femme struggle as she tried to continue, her vocals straining as she spoke. Her ability to speak had been deteriorating slowly, it seemed-she would suddenly become confused, freeze, and then she would forget basic words and would have to describe them to Lennox until he filled in with the lost word. Her building frustration only made it worse as she clenched her teeth together, gripping her forearms and she held onto herself. The man pushed a water bottle over her way, but she held up a hand palm-out directly over her face, turning away as she did so.

"No…I'm fine," she assured him with a scowl. Breathing in, she attempted again. "Barricade returned to the base with an injury—a piece of…uh," she said, and then touched her helm as if she'd become suddenly disoriented, her eyes moving sluggishly around the room before closing tightly.

 _Her processors are glitching,_ Sideswipe though, and he glanced at Ratchet. The older mech stood beside Optimus, speaking softly as they observed the feed but did not intervene.

The girl continued. "It was…metal, a metal piece, like…ah, shrapnel! Yes, under his shoulder blade, it was sticking…" They could tell she was struggling with her words, her sentence not completely normal but still understandable as she tried to continue, shaking her head in frustration.

"I was standing not far off, and I guess he noticed me staring because he called me over. I was ordered to remove it," she explained, and cringed a bit. "And then I helped with his repairs. After that, I was taken out of the mines and kept in their quarters, where he called on me fr-," she tried, "frah-" she tried again, but frowned as she couldn't figure out what she wanted to say. "Frahk! Again and again, a lot, I stayed there," she finished bitterly.

"Frequently," Lennox provided calmly, and she huffed and nodded.

"Yes," she spat indignantly. "Fucking _frequently_." That seemed to be the last straw, and he could see her eyes shining as she tried to keep from crying in frustration.

Sideswipe had seen this before from the other humans and expected the breakdown to occur then. However, it didn't happen as her eyes suddenly flashed up to the camera and narrowed, determination and defiance evident in them as she clenched her jaw. The sudden feeling of having her look directly at them through the monitor made Sideswipe flinch. "Yikes," he laughed, and Sunstreaker shook his helm. Ratchet gave them a glance but only frowned.

Her gazed remained fixed for a few seconds more before lowering back to Lennox. Knowing they were there and that they were watching her, she seemed to find the drive to continue, or at least the motivation to cover her weakness. Sideswipe smirked. _Ornery little femme,_ he thought amusedly. But his amusement dropped at her next statement.

"Like Al was Starscream's, I was kept as Barricade's _pet_ ," she snarled, a look of disdain covering her features as she forced the words out. "At least, at first."

* * *

Barricade moved down to her level, crouching so that she could reach.

"Try anything else and you will find yourself in a very painful position," he growled, and Piper flinched backwards. But she knew she couldn't keep him waiting long.

Hands shaking, she reached up and gripped the piece of shrapnel that was protruding from his back. He immediately hissed and she paused, but he made no move to turn around.

Even as he stood on his knees, she was not tall enough to pull the piece straight out. It would come out downwards, and she was nervous about the pain that it would cause him.

A part of her wanted to try and hurt him. A crazy, suicidal part of her.

But no, she had already decided that she was not going to die-she _would_ live to see her family again. Piper was going to be a model prisoner. She would live until the next tomorrow, no matter how many tomorrows it meant suffering through, and then she would see her family again. And since Barricade had not found a reason to kill her, she intended to keep it that way.

Gingerly, she placed a foot on the back of his calf. He turned his head to glance at her, and she paused, terror coursing through her at her nearness to him. She had not been this close to one of them since the day of her capture.

"Get on with it," he snapped.

Stepping upwards quickly, she stood on the back of his legs and found herself in a better position to pull the piece out. Looking down at it, it had splintered a bit on impact. There were cords and wiring looped around the shrapnel's jagged edges. It was a bit similar to a barbed fish hook snagged in the cheek of a fish. If she had attempted to pull it out from her position below, provided she was strong enough to pull it free, it might have caused some pretty serious damage.

Hands shaking, she reached forward tentatively and began gently removing the wires, pulling them outwards and loosening them a bit until she could slide them back down over the other edge of the jagged barbs and into Barricade's body. One by one, she loosened the cords and wires and slowly freed the shrapnel from their twisted hold. As it loosened, the metal shard began to sag away from Barricade's body, driving the lodged tip upwards slightly. At his growl of discomfort, she quickly moved under the shard, placing it on her shoulder to hold it steady as she continued working.

When she saw nothing more holding the piece in place, she tugged a bit, and it came loose easily. She swayed as she was met with the full weight of the metallic shard, dropping it off of her shoulder and onto the floor next to them with a loud clang.

However, her attention was diverted to Barricade's back almost immediately when the injury began pouring out a blue substance. Confused and startled, Piper stepped backward, nearly tripping over the back of Barricade's feet.

"Stop the flow!" he ordered suddenly. Stepping forward in alarm, she was left without a choice as she reached into his back to where she could see the leaking blue tubes. The matching blue fluid got on her hands and forearms, but she continued forward until she had grabbed either end of the severed tube. Bending them backward, she kinked the flow, but was then unable to proceed. They were too big and too solid to tie off. All she could do was keep them bent. Barricade then spoke up once more, more calmly this time.

"Put them back together," he told her.

Piper blinked. It didn't seem like something that would work, but she did not question him. Taking a moment to test the lengths of both tube ends, she pulled them as close together as she could and then released the bends. The flow immediately started back up, but Piper quickly pinched the tip of one and attempted to shove it just inside the entrance of the other tube. She was somewhat successful.

However, it seemed to be enough for what Barricade had wanted when before her eyes the material of the tube along with the liquid began to coagulate around the break, the surface melting and meshing together until the flow of blue liquid just barely leaked out.

 _It's scabbing_ , she thought, watching the hardening liquid in horrified amazement.

"Don't move," Barricade instructed then. So she stood frozen there, holding the ends together as the tube patched itself, covered to her shoulders in slick fluid. She didn't dare disobey even as her shoulders and arms complained from the awkward angle.

After what seemed like forever and when her skin had begun to tingle in a disconcerting way, he told her to let go. She immediately stepped off and away from him, backing up toward the pit once more.

Barricade flexed and rolled his shoulders and when he was finished he turned, his optics flashing down to her once more. He watched her for a few moments in thought, considering her without saying a word, the lenses in his optics spinning and opening wider. She diverted her gaze as she stood stock still, the red of his stare so close to her it casted a glow over her form.

"Now, go and wash yourself or the energon will damage you. When you are finished return here immediately, and don't make me wait," he demanded after a time.

Jolting into motion, she hurriedly did as instructed, ignoring the stares she received when she passed the pit. Washing her arms in the stream, she realized that everywhere the fluid, the 'energon' had touched was now an irritated pink color. She did not notice the sting until her skin touched the cool water, and she winced as she washed it all off, making sure there was none left on her flesh or clothes.

Afraid she had taken too long, she jogged back out to the pit, but the moment she emerged from the human quarters she was gripped in a giant metallic hand and lifted. She gave a piercing yelp before stifling it at the sharp look from Barricade.

Cowering amidst his fingers, she wondered where he was taking her. She would not ask, however, unwilling to upset him. She would just have to wait and see, even as she fought the terror that built as her heart raced.

As they went deeper into the base, it became less like a cave and more like what Piper would imagine an alien base would look like.

It seemed as if the caverns that she and the other humans had lived in were natural caves already present in (or under) the mountain, but the areas further in looked like they had been hollowed out with intention.

She had seen their technology, knew that they had blasters and lasers that could easily cut through rock and stone as she had seen them do several times to the floor of the pit. The deeper part of the base seemed to have been made similarly-the lines and edges of the cave walls too straight and functional, becoming more so the further Barricade took them. Technology had been imbedded in inlets cut into the walls, screens and control panels as well, and a door could even be seen at the end of a longer stretch of cave.

And then, had Piper not been so terrified, she would have been amazed when after stepping through the automatic door they were no longer in a cave. The walls were dark metal, and veins of wiring criss-crossed and spider-webbed over every surface. It was a ship, a very large alien ship that was hidden in the mountainside and made accessible by the caves.

Another robot was standing nearby, looking at a large screen that was imbedded in a console in the center of the room. He lifted his glowing gaze to them as they entered, and peering between Barricade's fingers she recognized him as the one seen rarely at the mining site. She would later know him as Starscream.

As she watched him, his optics spotted her. Piper cringed back in fear and looked away, catching the beginning of a grin that had begun to stretch his faceplates. Her body began to shake in terror of the attention despite herself, and she clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering.

"What is it, Barricade? Decide to get your own fleshling after seeing mine? Or did you just get jealous…" he sneered. Piper was somewhat surprised at the English-normally the robots would use their own tongue around the humans. The new robot must have wanted her to know what he was saying, perhaps trying to embarass Barricade. But Barricade didn't respond, just passed him by and continued deeper into the ship. As he passed, Starscream leered down at her, craning his neck to get a better view of her from within Barricade's cage-like grasp. She heard his voice carry after them as they left the room.

"Oh Barricade! A femme?" He continued, and Barricade growled angrily, his thumb coming down on Piper to press her into his palm. She winced as she was flattened and tried to make herself smaller. It seemed that Barricade hadn't wanted Starscream to see her so clearly. "A rather strange choice of pet, don't you think? I wonder what the others would say. Perhaps you are not jealous of my fleshling, but simply lonely?" He cackled from behind them, sounding like a strangled animal. "But settling for a human, you must be desperate!"

Piper immediately didn't like him. Barricade was cruel and frightening, but he never smiled, never jeered-hardly spoke at all, really, after her first encounter. It was less disconcerting than the other robot's loud and unpredictable attitude.

The doors shut behind them, effectively cutting Starscream off from continuing his stream of insults. The room they entered was smaller, and a raised bench-like platform ran along the back wall under a window with rounded edges. Outside she could see trees, but the image was wavy and distorted as if she were looking through the warped glass window of a very old house.

* * *

"A force field?" Lennox asked Piper.

"Yes. But more for disguise than anything else-it made the ship look like it's surroundings," she explained. "I could pass through when I needed to go outside and visit the river," she added, her frown deepening in disgust as she glanced to the side, recalling memories that seemed to bother her.

Lennox did not need her to elaborate further. He chose a different question instead.

"Why didn't Barricade just ask one of the other Decepticons to fix him?"

Her eyes moved back to him then, and a wry smile tugged at the edges of her mouth. "I thought that much would be obvious," she stated sourly. "Barricade and Starscream weren't, _aren't_ exactly friends. I think Barricade would have rather left the metal in his back or torn it out himself than ask Starscream for help," her voice was dull as she finished.

"What about Blackout?" Lennox asked. She wasn't sure if he was asking about his whereabouts or the relationship, so she addressed both.

"Not there. But If he had been, I think Starscream would have asked him. The Decepticons…" her eyes traveled up to the camera as she paused, and it looked as if she were trying to see through it for a moment. "They didn't get along, and that's putting it lightly. They fought amongst themselves constantly. I think the only reason why Barricade and Blackout tolerated each other was because they both hated Starscream so much."

Lennox's earpiece beeped then, and placing his finger on the side of it, Optimus asked him a question. Piper watched him stolidly.

"Weren't Barricade and Blackout following Starscream?" he asked. Her eyes flashed with an emotion like fear before she deadpanned once more.

"Not really," she stated mildly. Lennox tilted his head, but she didn't elaborate. Tentatively, he pressed on.

"Then...someone else was leading them?" He prompted, watching the girl carefully. She furrowed her eyebrows. Her shoulders were tensed, the skin on her brow beginning to glisten with sweat as she sat frozen in her seat. She shook her head almost imperceptibly.

Lennox wasn't sure if it was in acknowledgement to his question or not. She seemed to be fighting a thought, and a conflicted expression worked it's way onto her face.

"Pupils dilated," Ratchet commented. "Something has spooked the girl." He glanced at Optimus. "I don't like this, Prime," he said with a disgruntled shift on his peds.

"Indeed, it seems like she is trying very hard to avoid the question," Optimus replied.

"More like, it seems she's having trouble processing the question at all. Not too uncommon for individuals who have gone through traumatic events," Ratchet added. "But not a good sign, either," he finished sourly.

"Then, does that mean someone else is leading them? Or does she mean that they don't have a leader? They could be just staying together for protection after we kicked their afts," Ironhide commented. "I'm pretty sure Barricade's injury that she's talking about was caused by me, after all," he tacked on, a little proudly. They had had very few Decepticon sightings in the last year, but he had had the pleasure of detecting Barricade's signature in early autumn, tracking him into the next state. The confrontation had been brief and Barricade had escaped.

"The humans said that more Decepticons arrived later. Maybe they were just trying to stay in hiding while they waited for reinforcements?" Sideswipe added.

"That does not explain why they need the humans if they are simply hiding," Prowl interjected from behind them all. Surprised, Sideswiped turned to look at him. He had been working on one of the comm pads the whole while, and he hadn't been sure if the stoic mech was listening. "They are building something using the metals harvested from that mountain," he stated.

"The human said that a ship was under that mountain. It could be that they're just trying to repair it and escape," Sideswipe suggested.

"But we know that to be untrue," Ratchet argued. "It appears the Decepticon ship left shortly after Starscream was offlined by the girl and Sideswipe. There was no evidence to suggest they had any trouble taking off," he said.

"Enough speculation," Sunstreaker interjected irritably. "Just ask the squishy what they were building, or at the very least what mineral they were mining. I'll ask it myself."

"She is already exhibiting signs of strain. We should not-" Ratchet started to intervene, but his voice was drowned out by others'.

"She is not an it, you slagging idiot. Why can't you get that through your glitched processor?!" Ironhide reprimanded him. "And if we ask anything, the first thing we need to know about is their battle plans. I will ask-you don't know the first thing about sensitivity."

Lennox's earpiece beeped incessantly as the bots argued over the comm, trying to get their questions in. He winced, and although he did not relay them to Piper, she could clearly hear what they were asking in the quiet of the room.

Immediately she felt discomfort in her stomach as she was asked about her involvement in the Decepticon activities so straight-forwardly. And when they had finished, Lennox watched her with tentative expectancy. She felt her throat constrict.

Piper had planned to give her story in-full, and when it came to the most difficult parts, she hoped to skirt around them and let them imply what had happened as she finished. But being asked for the answers so directly had her feeling suddenly terrified as she was forced to recall her worst memories.

 _[Autobots, stop your arguing! You're frightening the youngling!]_ Lennox winced. Piper thought the louder voice in Lennox's earpiece sounded like the leader, and the noise ceased.

Determination stemmed her on as she clenched her hands in her lap. _Don't think about it, just talk,_ she thought. Taking in a breath, she opened her mouth-but the air caught in her throat as she went to exhale. Swallowing her panic, she tried again but was unable to utter even a sound. As her eyes locked with Lennox's, her expression changed to horror and mortification as she realized she would not be able to speak.

 _No,_ she thought. _C'mon Piper. This is why you're here. Just tell them and you'll be on your way home in no time._

But no matter how she coaxed her mind, her body would not respond, and she sat frozen in her seat. Her heart raced and suddenly she felt like she was on fire. A new panic tore through her at what that meant.

 _Not here…!_ She screamed at her mind, but it was already beginning.

"Hey...it's okay, you don't need to answer. Just continue where you left off," Lennox was telling her. But she had other issues, and she would rather not be on camera for them.

Swiftly standing, she knocked over her seat as she made for the door in long strides. She heard Lennox call after her but she was already down the hall and reaching for a door that (she hoped) would lead outside. She had no idea where she was headed, focusing more on fighting tears that streaked down her cheeks regardless as she fought to keep her mind calm.

Bursting through the door, she continued forward, but stopped when she nearly ran into a large metal ped. Her frenzying thoughts froze.

* * *

Sideswipe had seen her leave the room, bolting through the door in some kind of distress. When he heard someone suddenly enter the hangar, he froze as all optics in the room moved to see who had come in. He knew what had happened before even looking.

Slowly, he moved his sights down as well, and locked gazes with a wide-eyed, disheveled looking femme he had not seen in person in nearly two weeks.

She stood close to his tire-clad ped, so close that he could feel heat radiating off of her small form. Her eyes were large and dark as she looked up at him breathlessly, and her short hair seemed to stand on end and in wild tufts around her face. However, since she hadn't made a move to get away from him, he remained as well, wondering what she would do. As she watched him, all of them, her expression changed slightly, her features maneuvering into an indecipherable mask as she stood stock-still.

When her gaze moved back up to his, Sideswipe kept the optic-to-eye contact, looking at her steadily, waiting for her to make the first move. Her eyes moved down and wandered briefly over his form, and he saw when the flash of recognition ran through her face as she realized who he was. Immediately after taking him in, a look of blatant irritation crossed her features.

Disbelief and annoyance immediately spiked in his chassis despite himself. _Unbelievable!_ He seethed. _After putting on such a pathetic show, she can still come in here and make that face at me after everything…!_

His brother snorted behind him _,_ holding in a laugh _._ Sideswipe felt indignant _,_ scowling at the femme in return. He half expected her to smirk, but just as quickly her expression was wiped clean and returned to the blank mask she had on before.

 _[_ _What_ _you_ _get_ _for_ _sympathizing_ , _]_ his brother laughed.

 _[I don't sympathize with her!]_ he argued.

 _[You've always been a softie.]_

The Captain came through the door behind her then, placing a hand on her shoulder in alarm.

"I'm _fine_ ," she snapped, flinching and pulling away from him.

And it was the truth. Shocked into distraction by the sight before her, the frenzy that had started in her head had dissipated the moment she entered the hangar, her mind quieting as she was met with a veritable distraction. In front of her were the beings that plagued her nightmares, the source of all of her problems and the near destruction of her life. At least, they were the same species.

Looking at the one in front of her, she quickly recognized which one she was seeing. The red mech from the mountains, the haughty Autobot sporting a Lamborghini alt mode who'd lost his temper and thrown her out. Annoyance ran through her as she looked at him, their short history returning to her as she recalled her ultimately failed attempt at escaping from his team.

If she didn't know better, she'd say her feelings were mirrored on his own face as his optics watched her.

"Miss Lindley," A voice called out, making Piper flinch. Looking up past Sideswipe, it was the leader speaking down to her. "I apologize for my team's behavior. We are all anxious to hear what you have to say," he continued. There was another pause after that, and Piper felt uncomfortable as she was expected to respond. They were all peering down at her from behind the red mech, and she had to remind herself that she had volunteered to tell them what she knew.

Opening her mouth to speak, she was once again left without a voice when her breath caught in her throat, the passage constricting until she shut her mouth with an audible _click_ of her teeth.

 _What_ _the_ _hell_ _is_ _happening_ _to_ _me_ _?!_ She wondered, frustration and anger building in in chest. A blush broke out over her skin as she became more stressed, and she furrowed her eyebrows and held back tears as she realized that the words would not come.

Turning on her heel before she could make a spectacle of herself, she brushed past Lennox as she re-entered the human-sized hallway. More focused now, she was able to make her way back to the human quarters where her room was located without help, although Lennox trailed behind her.

Reaching her room, she smashed her code into the key-pad and threw the door open, all but running to the bed and falling face-first into it. She heard Lennox come in through the open door behind her but could not find the will to care.

When he finally spoke, it was only to say that he was sorry and they could try again when she was ready. She wanted to tell him to shove it, but it seemed her voice just would not be cooperating today.

* * *

 **Well, there's a bit of story for you. Please let me know what you think! I can't say exactly when the next chapter will be, but if I'm being honest, I've actually been working on another Transformers short story I've been outlining while in class (unrelated to this one). I'm sure I'll post that one eventually, but I promise I won't abandon this one!**

 **Anyway, please be sure to review, I love the feedback even if it's criticism. I don't want to take anyone out of the story with errors or strange content, so it's good that I hear that, too.**

 **As always, I hope your time is fulfilling with whatever you do, be it work, play or school.**

 **-PK**


	9. The First Step

**Hello! This chapter posed many significant challenges and that is the only reason I have for this super late update(not that I've ever promised to be on any sort of timetable, but I did hope this one would be ready long before now). I wanted to give a SPECIAL THANKS to my buddy Colorful Crayola for letting me rant and brainstorm, along with all the great advice and feedback. Really gave me the jumpstart I needed to allow this chapter to finally seen the light of day.**

 **As it seems to be a trend for me, I usually have chapters written out weeks in advance, but I simply cannot bear to post them until they strike me as polished enough for that. And this one...I really needed to consider how I wanted the rest of the story to go before posting, and this chapter began a turning point that I could not return from. Anyway, please enjoy and read and review if you like - I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

* * *

Piper didn't emerge from her quarters until well after dark. The base was quiet, and it was easy to make her way around without drawing any attention.

The thought of slipping out through the front gates and hoofing it to the nearest civilization had crossed her mind, and it wasn't as if she hadn't attempted it. However, it turned out that the front gates were still guarded throughout the night. So instead, she found herself making her way to a place that was second-best to freedom; a place she could see the sky. The best place, she'd learned, happened to be in the mess hall.

She knew the Cybertronians didn't sleep as frequently as humans needed to, and often had to avoid them while she wandered at night. She'd been nervous when she first saw that many areas were built to accommodate their size, and had passed quickly through them as she made her way toward her destination. So far, she'd been able to do so successfully-they weren't exactly quiet when they walked and she'd feel the ground shaking minutes in advance.

The long hallway she was wandering through was suitable only for human-sized inhabitants and flanked the hangar, human-sized doors providing access to it every few meters. She was surprised when she noticed the lights on inside of the hangar, the slight glow leaking out from under the entryways, but felt comforted knowing there was no risk while she remained out in the hall.

However, she paused when she noticed that one door ahead of her had been left ajar. The light flooded into the narrow passage, and she immediately slowed her pace. Since the back of the door faced her, Piper decided to err on the side of caution and gently push it closed as she passed. Approaching tentatively, Piper placed her hands on the door, moving it as quietly as she could. She had it nearly closed when her eyes caught sight of the beings inside. Their voices met her ears then-and it was not English, but the familiarly foreign and unnerving sound she'd come to know as Cybertronian.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, she peered around the door. She recognized first the red mech standing nearest to her position, and was momentarily startled at how close she was to him. Further in beside him was another mech who was a deep amber color, and Piper immediately noticed the similarities between them.

 _Brothers,_ she thought instantly, and her baffling conversation with Lennox returned to her mind. She thought the yellow one might have been there the night she was captured as well as during her encounter with the bots earlier that day, but only now, while seeing them stand side-by-side, did she see the resemblance. As she observed the two strikingly similar bots, a third voice made its way to her ears from deeper within the hangar.

Peaking further into the bright room, Piper vaguely recognized large black mech standing not far off. He was bigger than the other two in both height and width, and although it wasn't her first time seeing him, she hadn't noticed how the metal was warped over one of his optics like a ragged scar. The overall effect was startling, but it wasn't what had her attention anymore as she saw what he was carrying.

In his hand was a tiny sliver of metal that appeared like a toothpick in his large grasp. But she recognized it instantly.

 _My blade…!_ Piper gasped audibly, but regretted it instantly.

Covering her mouth, her eyes shot up to the red bot who still stood only a few yards from her. His optics were already on her. Before she slammed the door and bolted toward the safety of her room, Piper saw the deep blue lens-like pupils inside his optics spin and dilate slightly in surprise.

 _Fuck fuck fuck,_ she thought, feeling flustered. Reaching her room, she entered her code and quickly escaped into her space. _You're an idiot Piper,_ she berated herself. She had not expected to be seen.

Rubbing her shaking hands together, she paced her room and mentally kicked herself for another half-hour, anticipating a knock on her door, or worse. But when it never came, she began to feel restlessness settle over her once more as her mind wandered back to her original plan.

 _Maybe it's no big deal to them,_ she thought. _Maybe they've already gone off onto other things and I'm just here freaking out for no reason. Maybe they don't care at all._

Poking her head back into the hall, she found that all was silent, and reassurance made its way slowly back into her chest. She shut the door, but did not release the handle as she breathed deeply, considering again what she wanted.

Since sleep was not an option she wanted to face (and also because she was feeling a bit indignant after her cowardly behavior earlier), she summoned her nerve and made her way back out into the hall once more, feeling somewhat on-edge.

Piper was relieved to see that all the lights were off this time as she made her way more slowly back through the base. The human-sized hall she was in eventually gave way to a large corridor as she reached the entrance to the mess hall. This was where the human halls met with the Cybertronian accessible ones-there now being mech-sized doors leading into the hangar on her right and a large and small entrance to the mess hall on her left. This was built intentionally so that both the soldiers and Cybertronians could come out of the hangar into the large corridor and enter the cafeteria together, or the humans could go back to their rooms through the off-shooting human halls. The expanse of hall straight ahead lead to the Cybertonian quarters.

Nonetheless, all was quiet as she arrived at the entrance without incident, pushing the human-sized doors open. She kept the doors to the hangar in her periphery, feeling like one of them might come through it at any time.

The mess hall was one of the few areas she had been allowed in that offered a view of the outside, and although it was built so that both Autobots and humans could mingle comfortably in the tall space, Piper felt assured that the room would not be occupied by anyone else until the early hours of the morning, when the cooks would come in to make breakfast. She would be long gone by then.

The windows were high above the ground at the opposite end of the room and formed a triangle where the ceiling peaked. Set deeply into the wall, it provided a ledge just big enough for Piper to perch on. She was grateful that Lennox still had food delivered to her quarters, understanding her reluctance to interact with the Autobots who visited sporadically. But she had been given a tour one evening and had felt immediate attraction to the outdoor visual access the large windows provided. She had already spent a few nights perched on the sill since then, sneaking out when the base quieted.

The many months deep in the Decepticon mines had made Piper appreciate the view of the sky she had taken for granted before, and once moved to Barricade's quarters in the ship, she had gazed out of the force field similarly, planning her escape. It had become a sort of therapy for her, offering her relief, and it was something she felt necessary to ground her especially since most of the base held a dark and confining feel.

Pushing a table toward the window ledge, it rolled reluctantly beneath her palms until it hit the wall with a soft thud. The window was still too high, however, and Piper made her way to the broom closet and returned with a step stool. Climbing onto the table, she drug the stool up behind her and unfolded it, stepping up and standing on her tip-toes so that her forearms could rest on the window ledge. With a little jump for momentum, she heaved herself quickly up, scooting into the space and up against the cool pane before folding a leg up against her and letting one stretch out along the sill.

The sky was a dark muddy brown-typical of a place near Los Angeles and not as bright or beautiful as sky had been at the Decepticon base in the mountains. However, Piper felt comforted by the familiarity-the sky above her home in Simi Valley had looked similarly, if not even less bright. After all, the air base was fairly isolated and less affected by light pollution than her family home in the suburbs.

Her thoughts moved away from home and back to the present as she once again relived the day, feeling embarrassment and frustration all over again.

 _Today was a disaster,_ she thought, sighing loudly. Her body had completely shut down on her, no doubt a latent stress response appearing that she was neither able to predict or control.

She wondered about Lennox and the Autobot medic's assessment of her condition, the post traumatic stress that they apparently believed her to be suffering. She didn't _feel_ stressed, at least not all the time. She certainly hadn't felt like she'd be physically unable to talk about her time with the 'cons when she agreed to it. The fact that she couldn't along with her little freak-out earlier that day left her feeling suddenly apprehensive about it all, and terribly unsure of herself.

It was not how she wanted things to go. She sighed again.

Her contemplations were broken when a strange feeling of being watched washed over her, the hairs on her neck prickling as the sudden awareness crept up her back. Blinking, she wondered what had set it off when she noticed two spots of blue reflecting in the window she was gazing out of, and she whirled around.

The mech had somehow crept up on her, and she now found herself face-to-face with him. He flinched back at her sudden movement, not expecting she'd notice him so abruptly. Piper scrambled forward and toward him, attempting to jump down, but the tip of one of her shoes got caught on the lip between the ledge and the glass pane and she found herself tipping forward over the edge.

"Ahh-!" She yelped, sliding off head-first toward the floor. But the experience was short-lived when her flailing arms met with a solid surface and she was quickly pushed up-right and onto the ledge once more.

Pushing off from the support, she backed into the glass and looked up. The bot retracted his hand at once, leaving her to watch him in muted alarm. However, he made no move to touch her again after stopping what would have been a painful fall.

"Watch it," he huffed after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "There's no need to glitch your processors and get yourself damaged," the mech scolded. Piper blinked, a little flustered, and scooted back against the window as far as she could.

The awkward situation had deflated her flight plan, and now she was left watching the mech uncomfortably. Her panicked thoughts were clearing somewhat, and Piper ran her eyes over the Autobot and quickly recognized the mech as the prideful bot called Sideswipe - the very one who'd seen her in the hangar earlier. He made no move to continue speaking, but to her disappointment, did not seem to want to leave, either.

 _How did he sneak up on me…?_ she began to wonder, but then her eyes found their way to his feet. He was balancing on two wheels - _tires_ \- connected to his peds. _Damn_.

"What are you doing in here?" Sideswipe asked when she hadn't said anything. Moving her eyes back up his form and to his glowing optics, she swallowed before answering.

"...Nothing. What do you want?" she asked tensely.

"Just checking. After today, I thought you might try something."

Piper's eyes narrowed. "You gonna make fun of me for what happened? If so, go right ahead. I don't give a damn what you think," she snapped. "I already realize how I look. I don't need to hear it from _you_ ," she tacked on, averting her gaze. Now it was Sideswipe's turn to blink, and he shuttered his optics, the rotating lens within them focusing in on the small form curled defensively on the ledge in front of him.

"Nah," he stated. In truth, he had thought to patrol a bit after seeing her in the hangar earlier, thinking she was trying to escape again. If that was the case, Sideswipe _definitely_ wanted to be the one to stop her. And when he saw her climbing toward the window he felt like his suspicions were confirmed.

However, she just sat there, and it made him curious as to what she was doing if not escaping. He thought she might have seen something interesting outside, and Sideswipe decided he had no reason to hide any longer(except for a threat or two from Ratchet and Ironhide, which he felt comfortable ignoring).

"No," he said again more clearly, "Just making sure you weren't trying to leave." She gave him a sharp look at that.

"What, you think I can get out from _here_?" she said incredulously, raising a hand to knock on the reinforced pane behind her. "I must have really impressed you if you think I'm _that_ good," she quipped. She'd meant it as a joke, but the statement came out sourly, a half-smile, half-grimace sweeping over her features that formed a nasty sneer.

If Sideswipe noticed he didn't show it, only venting a bit. "You got lucky. Once."

"Twice. I got away from your leader, too."

He scowled. "Not really. You got caught."

Piper just shrugged. "Details."

The stared at each other sourly for a few moments before he shook his helm and started again.

"So, what was that today, anyway?" He asked, keeping his tone nonchalant and shifting on his peds, crossing his arms as he found a more comfortable position. She immediately scowled, averting her eyes.

He did not want to press, considering how badly she'd taken it earlier that day. However, he was itching for answers and thought he'd probe a bit (even though Ratchet's threat of a swift offlining if he bothered the femme rang in his processor).

"Dunno," she mumbled. "But you can go ahead and get out of my face about it. I know it was pretty fucking pathetic." Her tiny human face turned from bitter to outright dejected at this last statement, and she examined her peds.

Sideswipe was feeling awkward and irritated. Part of him felt that he _could_ imagine himself saying something like that to the obnoxious femme - or any of the annoying humans on the base, really. It wasn't as if he was a fan of them, and part of him _did_ think they were pathetic. But this femme was a different case.

Another part of him felt she was still projecting her own imagine of Cybertronians onto him - an image that was decidedly Decepticon influenced. And that was simply unacceptable.

Scowling, the mech crossed his arms and vented once more.

"You are not pathetic," he said slowly. The words were quiet and somewhat stiff, but Piper heard them clearly. She lifted her eyes back to his face in surprised. When she didn't respond, however, he felt pressured to continue.

"I mean, you escaped from the Decepticons, saved the lives of several of your comrades, and even offlined a Decepticon Seeker," he told her, and it was his turn to avert his optics as hers widened in surprise. A little bit of pride swelled in his chassis at her obvious awe, feeling like he was changing her mind about him, and it spurred him on.

"Not to mention escaping from me, which is the _real_ feat here if we're being honest," he added, and was surprised at himself. It had not been something he'd even wanted to _think_ about before, and even his own brother mentioning the human's escape would sour his mood. But now he was joking about it in order to make the very femme who'd caused all the trouble feel better.

A few moments passed without looking at her as he waited for her to respond, and he gazed out the window behind her as if looking at something interesting. But eventually her voice reached his audio receptors.

"Well... I didn't _technically_ escape. You did that yourself," she commented. As the femme's voice caught up to him, he felt a frown begin once more on his face plates. But when he glanced down at her, he found her expression was soft, mild amusement glinting in her dark eyes without any sign of malicious intent. He calmed down immediately.

"...I guess I did," he responded somewhat awkwardly, and he wondered if he was imagining it when he saw the ghost of a half-smile passed over her mouth as she looked at him. He strained his optics for a better look, but just as soon as it appeared she'd already turned back to the window, hiding her face from his view.

* * *

Sunstreaker stared at the screen on the hangar wall with an undisguised look of bafflement on his faceplates as he watched the exchange happening in the room down the corridor.

When one of the human-sized doors had slammed shut in the hangar, they had all offhandedly wondered who was there. His brother had claimed he hadn't seen who, and Ironhide had dismissed it without a second thought. But Sunstreaker, who had stopped questioning the humans' strange antics and was going to as well, felt immediate suspicion toward his brother upon hearing his response. His interest was piqued at why his brother was lying about such a strange and seemingly unimportant occurrence.

It became even more baffling when Sideswipe, who'd been so interested in what Ironhide had to say about the little femme's weapon, crept out with the weak excuse of recharge.

Sideswipe's strange behavior left Sunstreaker feeling curious then, and when Ironhide stepped out to speak with Ratchet, Sunstreaker immediately made use of the the base's security cameras.

Tracking his brothers movements only thickened the mystery as Sideswipe began patrolling, peering into small spaces and even some human-sized rooms as he went along. Ironhide had come back in at some point and was watching in amusement from behind Sunstreaker, commenting occasionally on his brother's strange antics.

Eventually though, Sideswipe's outright bizarre behavior was explained. He had been meticulously patrolling when he made it to the mess hall, slowly pushing the sliding door open a crack and peering inside. Changing the feed from the hall camera to the mess hall they spotted the femme immediately, and things began to make sense to Sunstreaker.

 _You sly dog, were you hoping she'd be trying to escape?_ Sunstreaker thought in amusement as he watched his brother slowly approach the girl, skating quietly on his wheeled peds. It seemed that Ironhide had called Optimus in alarm upon seeing the turn of events, but rather than contact Sideswipe to halt his actions, Optimus came into the hangar with Ratchet at his side.

"Sir, shouldn't we stop this?" Ironhide asked the Prime nervously.

"I'd have to agree, considering Sideswipe's last contact with the femme and his level of experience with humans-" Ratchet began, but was cut off.

"Have some faith in your comrade. He cannot learn if he doesn't try. Let us see how it plays out," Optimus told them, his optics moving back to the screen. Ratchet only shook his helm, and Ironhide's brow plates moved down further over his optics as he watched silently, obviously uncomfortable.

Sunstreaker didn't understand what their leader was trying to get at, but felt that at the very least, the exchange might be amusing. And at first, he _was_ amused - the femme promptly fell from her position upon noticing Sideswipe, and he watched his brother's servo reflexively shoot out and catch her, quickly pushing her back into place.

But after that the encounter took several unexpected turns as their conversation went from irritated to somewhat more agreeable, and when he heard his brother compliment the squishy, he could not believe his audio receptors. Her light response was heard quietly through the speakers as well, and even with the poor video and sound quality, the mildly amiable turn in conversation was not lost.

Turning his gaze to the bots around him in confusion, he realized they were all standing still as they watched. Optimus and Ratchet's optics shone in muted appreciation, but Ironhide held an expression closer to his own incredulous one.

"I don't believe it," the gruff weapon's specialist stated, shaking his helm. "That trouble-maker can really be sincere if he wants to be."

"Sideswipe has always been an agreeable youngling," Optimus added. "He has a good spark," and turning to him, he tacked on, "you both do."

Sunstreaker averted his gaze back to the screen to keep from squirming under his leader's gaze. Something in his spark repelled the image before him, and he was loathe to think that his brother would suddenly take on the opinions of his comrades regarding the humans. He felt that it would not sit well with him, especially considering that he and his brother agreed on nearly everything else. Fear sparked in his chassis as he thought of it.

Movement drew his attention back to the screen once more, and he looked up to see the girl slowly making her way down from the ledge. Sideswipe watched her go in silence, making no move to say or do anything, as if trying to avoid startling a timid animal.

When she reached the floor she scampered past him, and Sideswipe's optics followed her with interest. She paused as she reached the door.

Perhaps it was because she felt awkward just leaving, but she turned back to Sideswipe, eyeing him for a moment longer before lifting a hand and holding it steady in the air near her shoulder in gesture of goodbye. Her face gave nothing away as she made the small acknowledgement. A moment later Sideswipe slowly lifted his own servo, holding it still as well as he mimicked her gesture. Just as soon as he had she turned and left, darting quickly from the space and down the darkened hall toward the human dwellings.

Sunstreaker watched his brother then as the servo he held up fell, his helm turning as he examined his fingers briefly before lowering his arm fully. Sunstreaker narrowed his optics.

 _This is not good._

* * *

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Poor Sunny T_T I didn't intend for that to happen, but it just did. (Even I was surprised).**

 **Leave a review and let me know what you think. As always, I hope your time is fulfilling wherever you are, be it with school or work or what may compell you.**

 **-PK**


	10. A Patient Interim

**Hello! Welcome to chapter 10. It's a fairly short chapter compared to the others but I felt it was better than not posting anything (since this week begins finals, and I debated on waiting until afterwards to post at all. Glad I could get this out now, I think).**

 **Once again a thank-you to the lovely Colorful Crayola for all your feedback. She's been diligently revamping her own transfic "Better Days" (One of my very favorites, definitely worth looking into if you guys are looking for some great content). Solidarity to my fellow author~  
**

 *****OH! Also I must thank her for the excellent cover-art for Civilian Soldier I am now using! She dealt with my strange and vague specifications and made the amazing piece of art that suits this story so well! She's got a knack for photoshop, I am seriously jealous. All credit to Crayola for such a badass cover, thank you!*****

 **Anyway, this is just some side-stuff happening after the event from last chapter, setting up for the next installment. Enjoy!**

* * *

Piper's eyes opened to the same gray ceiling she'd woken up to for several weeks now. And just like every morning, she wondered if she was still asleep, perhaps still within the Decepticon base and unconscious in Barricade's quarters.

 _Figures_ , she thought with grimace. For many months of her imprisonment she had wondered if she was trapped in a nightmare and would wake up at home. Now, her mind was reluctant to believe that she had actually escaped.

 _Though I'm still not_ technically _free,_ she reasoned, sighing as she swung her legs over the edge of her bunk.

Checking the clock, it was almost 10AM, which meant she'd slept in and missed the arrival of breakfast. She knew that she'd needed the sleep after yesterday, and for whatever she might face today if she was asked to try again. Peeking into the hall, she found that a meal had been left outside her door, and Piper brought it in and picked at it without much enthusiasm.

In truth, she was reluctant to offer to speak again so soon. Lennox _had_ told her she was free to try again when she was ready, after all. That didn't mean she wasn't prepared to be asked, however, and when Lennox himself (rather than one of his men) visited a few hours later with lunch she braced herself for the question.

Which didn't come.

Except for asking how she was feeling, which was, while awkward, not unexpected, Lennox merely made simple small-talk with Piper until leaving for work once more, taking her half-eaten breakfast with him. She furrowed her eyebrows at his retreating form in confusion but did not ask.

* * *

"How is the girl?" Lennox heard the voice from above him as he made his way back to the mess hall with Piper's plate. The Prime's optics had been dimmed in concentration as Lennox passed, and the soldier recognized that his mind - or processor, as they called it - was elsewhere. He hadn't intended on bothering the leader, but it seemed that he was still noticed.

"She seems okay. Didn't say much," he replied. After a moment, Lennox continued. "...Are you sure about this though? I think if we asked, she might try again."

"It was not my decision this time," Optimus admitted. "Ratchet was the one who requested more time for her. He believes that more progress in developing positive associations with us is necessary before she will be comfortable speaking of her ordeal. He claims that it will help her manage the psychological healing," he finished.

"And you think so too?" Lennox inquired. Before answering, Optimus lowered a servo and Lennox climbed on without hesitation, allowing the Autobot leader to lift him. He only responded when they began forward toward the mess hall once more.

"...Of course, I am anxious to hear what she has to say about our enemies. Especially after my soldiers' discoveries at the former decepticon base," the bot said. Lennox saw what he thought was a grim expression cross Optimus's faceplates then, and he understood why. Bumblebee, Jazz and Mirage had been sent to investigate the location Piper had given them days ago, and had reported back with unpleasant news.

The mountain was partially destroyed, the Decepticon ship having been removed from the mountainside in a hurry. However, this meant that they had to dig into the rubble in search of clues, only to find the mine Piper mentioned along with the caves where the humans had dwelled. Inside were the bodies of many Decepticon prisoners who hadn't escaped with Piper's group, who'd been crushed or left to die when the Decepticons departed.

It had been decided that Piper was not to be informed of this unless necessary, the added stress on the girl not ideal for either her mindset or their cause.

"However," he went on, breaking Lennox from his thoughts. "I think it was a good decision." The two of them entered the mess hall, where Optimus observed the brothers who were sharing a cube of energon, talking quietly in Cybertronian. "The right one, I believe, for all of us," Optimus added after a moment, his optics still trained on the two.

Following the leader's gaze, Lennox furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He didn't comment, though he got the feeling that he was missing something.

When the twins noticed their leader's arrival they nodded their helms at him briefly in respect, receiving one in response.

"Down you go then, Major Lennox. I must get back to the hangar," Optimus said, lowering his servo so the Major could get off.

"Ah, Mirage, Jazz and Bee are coming in, huh? When do they arrive?" Lennox asked.

"Sometime late tonight, I believe. I am going to go and insist that Ratchet get some recharge. I want him to be well-rested for our team's arrival tonight-they will be bringing back what they've been able to salvage from the ruins of the Decepticon base, and he will no doubt wish to begin analysing it."

Lennox nodded. "I'll be by tomorrow to greet them, then. Tell them hello from me," he replied. Optimus returned the nod, standing straight again before turning to leave.

Left in the mess hall before the twins who were speaking in their native tongue, Lennox made his way somewhat awkwardly past them toward the kitchen. The brothers were nearly as unsociable toward him as the day they'd arrived, barely sparing him a glance as he entered their space, and any brief conversations he'd had with them were all business and only when necessary. While Sideswipe had seemed merely uncomfortable at the interaction, Sunstreaker had always appeared almost aggressive, and Lennox had long since given up trying to form a relationship with the two.

Entering the human-sized space of the back kitchen, he made for the sink with Piper's plate but stopped as he noticed the familiar figure leaning against the back counter.

Half-eaten sandwich in hand, the evidence of a self-made meal on the counter, the man looked absolutely pleased as he looked back at Lennox.

"Sneaking food from the kitchen, Epps?" Lennox asked, shaking his head at his friend.

"Hey, I blame you. You've got me so busy around here, _Major_ , I don't have time to eat breakfast with everyone else. Man's gotta eat," he shot back, taking another large bite. Lennox chuckled, scraping Piper's breakfast remains into the trash and placing the plate in the sink. As Epps watched him, he stilled a bit, swallowing then as a realization seemed to dawn on him.

"That's hers, huh?" He asked casually. Lennox glanced up at him and nodded. "She gonna try again today?"

Setting the plate on the drying rack, Lennox turned around, leaning against the counter beside his friend and snatching the last bit of sandwich out of Epps's hand. "Nope," he said, eating the morsel without apology. Epps furrowed his brows.

"She okay?" He asked. At this, Lennox sighed, slapping his hands past each other to remove the crumbs and shoving off from the counter to make his way back to the hall. Epps followed.

"Difficult to tell. She's not in a talking mood today, I guess," Lennox replied, stepping out into the open. He did not notice the gazes of the twins move onto them.

"So that means she's _not_ gonna talk today, then?"

"Doubtful. Ratchet's orders, we can't press her," he said, but even as he did, Lennox couldn't help but internally second-guess Ratchet's decision on this. Something about the reasoning seemed off to him, but he couldn't figure out why.

 _Is it really that important to them that Piper has a positive opinion of the Autobots? Wouldn't it just be easier, for_ everyone _, to have her tell us what she knows so that she can leave?_

"I don't know when is a good time to apologize. Last time I went to see her, she wouldn't even look at me," Epps said, bringing Lennox from his thoughts. Looking over, he saw a deep frown on his friend's face, an unfamiliar look from the jovial character. Lennox visibly winced.

"Can you blame her? From her perspective, it's their kind against our's. There's no way she could've understood that we are a team. She's probably never met a human who'd side with them during her time in captivity," he said.

"Ya think she understands now, then?" Epps' eyes met Lennox's and Lennox could see the guilt there. Thinking back on the girl, he wanted to believe that she understood their intentions now. After all, she'd trusted them enough to reveal her companions' location. Placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, he gave him a forced smile.

"If you're really that worried about it, just talk to her, man. You had your orders, and you kept her safe. If she doesn't understand it when you see her, she will eventually. Not much more you can do than that."

"Yeah. I guess the whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth. Gotta make that right," Epps said, "and you know, I can't leave the ladies upset. Gotta fix that, too," he laughed then. Lennox grinned back, releasing the man. It was then he noticed the silence that had fallen in the room, the sounds of Cybertronian having ceased upon their entrance back into the space.

Glancing up, his eyes met optics with the more approachable of the two Cybertronian brothers. Their gazes locked for only a split second before Sideswipe turned his helm away. On the other hand, the gold mech's optics didn't leave his brother.

"Something you want to say to them, Sides?" Sunstreaker asked suddenly, the English startling the two men. Even Sideswipe seemed startled as he regarded the golden mech.

"...I was just listening for any news, to see if we would be getting any more information today," he responded carefully, holding his brother's gaze. Lennox could see Sunstreaker's optics narrow.

"Ratchet already gave the order. There won't be any debriefing today," Sunstreaker continued.

"I know that!" Sideswipe snapped. "But who's to say she won't talk to her human companions?"

"You sure you're not the one who wishes to be spoken to?" Sunstreaker asked, the calm in his voice betrayed by the harshness of his gaze. The red bot paused at this, his optics widening imperceptibly.

"...what's that supposed to mean?" he asked in a low voice. Sunstreaker said nothing for a moment, observing his brother keenly.

"Just making sure you weren't hoping to gather any extra _information_ on your own," he stated. Sideswipe's optics narrowed his brother, suspicion and alarm flashing in them as he did so.

Lennox and Epps glanced at each other, wondering if they should leave. The stare-off was unnerving, and neither of them wanted to be there if a brawl was about to break out between the twins.

"...I don't see how it would be a problem if I _did_ try," Sideswipe replied coolly, keeping his voice controlled as he continued. "What's your problem, Sunny?"

Sunstreaker looked livid, but only for a moment before he seemed to compose his features again.

"Nothing. It's no business of mine, apparently," he snapped, suddenly turning to leave. Somewhat flustered, Sideswipe watched him go, glancing at the humans before trailing behind moments later.

Watching the bots go, Epps was the first to break the silence that had fallen after the odd confrontation they'd just witnessed. "What do you think that was?" he asked, still looking at the door the two had exited through.

"Not sure," Lennox said, watching curiously as well. "But I guess it means even twins fight, then. But hey, it's been a rough couple of weeks, lots of new Decepticon activity to worry about. Can't really blame them."

"I guess," Epps agreed simply, shaking his head. "But I'd hate to be on the receiving end of _that_ gare."

* * *

Sunstreaker had already disappeared down the corridor leading to the Autobot quarters by the time Sideswipe made it out of the mess hall after him. It seemed his brother really didn't want his company at the moment.

He vented, feeling sure his brother suspected something - although how, he could not even begin to guess.

 _Sunstreaker_ always _seems to know what I'm up to,_ Sideswipe thought irritably. His brother had always been more keen than him, could always tell when he was lying (which was rare, the two didn't keep secrets). Sideswipe accredited it more as one of his brother's talents than the bond - since he could not always read Sunstreaker like Sunstreaker read him.

If Sunstreaker really _did_ know what he had done, why hadn't he said anything?

 _And not only that, why should I be feeling guilt over it?!_ Sideswipe thought angrily. But he knew the answer already.

Sideswipe had had no intention of telling his brother what was going on. In fact, he really wished to keep the conversation had with the femme to himself - wondering if Sunstreaker would view it as a betrayal, considering it was rather… open, and well, certainly not a conversation _Sunstreaker_ would want to have or approve of having with the 'organics'. Slag, he himself wouldn't have imagined it a few weeks before. And Sideswipe _did_ feel a bit guilty over it, over his own curiosity.

 _Would Sunstreaker believe me if I told him I was just trying to get information?_ he wondered. But even if it _was_ partially the truth, in his own processor, it felt like a lie - like a statement that would make Sunstreaker even more angry when he heard the uncertainty in Sideswipe's voice. Sure, it _had_ been his intention at first. But the encounter left him wanting more, wanting to prove himself.

Honestly, Sideswipe had not expected things to go the way they had with the human femme the night before. She was frustrating and mistrusting, and too keen on how to provoke him. He'd wanted to snap at her and get angry. The things he had said to her, however, did not reflect these feelings.

The decision to say what he had had been one of the only times Sideswipe had ever had to make a conscious effort to be an Autobot. It had felt different treating the human soldiers coldly, dismissing them them and speaking ill of them. He wasn't ever compelled to force kindness then, like he had anything to prove to them about his ties to the Autobots, and certainly never felt like he was acting like a Decepticon, either. Maybe it was because the human femme had only known Decepticons, and she expected no less of him. But the femme had challenged his station as an Autobot, had made him actively wish to change her mind.

And for that, just the once, he would change his behavior toward a human.

He'd had to rationalize that she was not really seeing him - but the pit-spawned mechs she had come to know in her captivity. He also knew her previous impressions of Autobots were...less than spectacular, what with his little stunt in Nevada and being deceived by Optimus. And while it was true he had only complimented her because he'd wanted to prove her expectations wrong, while he said the words he suddenly found that they rang more genuine than he'd initially intended.

And when he saw that he had her attention at last, the dark, shining gaze that was not averted for once, with a look on her face that was pure surprise, he could not even think to regret his words. Sideswipe was proud all over again to be an Autobot, the feeling of kinship with his team that he had not felt since arriving on Earth warming in his spark as the girl listened to him, her occasional response not at all as cutting or derisive as it had been. He'd felt important somehow, like he was the first to represent his team to the mistrusting human and give her, perhaps, her first good impression of them.

It was such a small thing, but somehow, he left the encounter feeling like he'd done something very worthwhile. And, as he watched her slink away from the mess hall and give her silent goodbye, a look of guarded contemplation on her features, he felt a need to see more, and to show her more, too. Which would mean he'd have to try again.

* * *

 **Ah, the last part really gave me so much trouble . Let me know if it's weird. Next chapter, more information about Piper's time with the Decepticons, most likely. I know this one is short, but it was the most logical place to cut off since I'm still working out some kinks in future chapters. Like I said though, I was just happy to get something published this week.**

 **Anyway, stay tuned for more! Please review and let me know what you think, I've got more in store but I've just got to find the motivation to sit down and work on it awhile T_T Should be easier after this week when school is out. They should be back to the regular length after this week.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-PK**


	11. On the Other Side

**Hey there... man it's been awhile. I** **had a lot of decisions to make about the future of this story, so posting this chapter involved a lot of thought (and strangely, energy, _hah_ ). Might end up changing my mind and revising but for now I've decided to take this path (I hate it when I'm stuck between options to move forward! Usually I know where I want to go, but there were several routes I could take here).**

 **Shoutout to the lovely Colorful Crayola for all her help - I've actually changed the chapter a lot since she gave her input. These chapters are the most difficult to write, where we have a lot of characters giving a lot of emotional responses, and I have to stop and ask myself questions about whether or not their responses seem natural. A second opinion is so valuable in this case.**

 **Anywho, a nice long chapter 11 is here...I'm gonna go pass out.**

* * *

Piper hadn't realized she'd been dreaming until she awoke with a jolt, finding herself curled on her side in her assigned room on the air base. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but without anything to do but wander the base and risk having to talk to anyone, she was left with only her room to spend her time in while it was still daytime.

It had been the first deep sleep she'd managed for awhile, even if it was a fairly short nap, and she knew she hadn't had any nightmares. Piper strained to remember her mind's somewhat pleasant wanderings, but even as she tried to recall it, the dream was already slipping through the cracks in her mind and disappearing.

 _Figures_ , she huffed, shaking her head.

Checking the clock she could tell that it was already evening, and she stretched as she stood from the bed, bringing the blanket up with her and wrapping it around her shoulders. She then swivelled her head from side to side and surveyed her surroundings.

The movement caused her head to fog up and she felt a queasiness hit her stomach, she was suddenly grateful she'd asked Lennox not to deliver dinner that night. Even with the concussion finally gone, Piper was still getting chronic headaches and could still only stomach two meals a day - barely. She never could finish what was brought to her. But with how little energy she used throughout her day, Piper felt she would not have needed the middle meal anyway.

Turning toward the desk beside her bed, she found what she was looking for in her bottle of water and two little pills. Normally she would have taken them with lunch, but she had been feeling alright and hoped to begin weaning herself off of them.

 _So much for that idea._

She gulped the pills down just as a knock was heard at the door, and she wondered darkly if it was Lennox there to pressure her into speaking tomorrow. It had been an awkward conversation over lunch that day to say the least - with Lennox waiting for her to offer to speak while Piper, in turn, waited in muted dread for him to request it of her.

 _Or maybe he's brought dinner,_ she thought, and wasn't sure which thought horrified her more.

Opening the door, she was unpleasantly surprised to find Epps standing in front of her - and if it wasn't bad enough, he held a tray of food in his arms. The smell hit her like a train and she was immediately turned off, recoiling in an instant. She wrinkled her nose and attempted to shut the door once more.

"Hey, wait up!" he called, sticking his boot in the door jam.

 _Goddamn steel toes,_ she thought irritably.

Scowling, she pulled it back open. "C'mon, I came to apologize. I really didn't mean you any harm. You should know that by now, right…?" he asked, his face a mask of sincerity.

Piper blinked. He still seemed to think she was upset over him bringing her in.

 _It_ was _an unpleasant turn of events, and a little humiliating but..._

"I'm not mad about that. Frankly, I don't really care anymore," she told him, shrugging her shoulders. "But you'd better get _that_ out of my face. I don't want it," she told him, motioning to the food he carried. He seemed ready to argue, so she was forced to continue lest he try to convince her. "Lennox knows. I have trouble eating a lot so I just have two meals. You can keep it."

"Oh," he said, glancing at the food almost sheepishly. "Sorry. Didn't know." Piper nodded. He took a step back.

"I just wanted to help you is all-" he started.

"You don't need to apologize. I don't care-"

"-but I guess I went about it the wrong way, and-"

"Seriously, _stop."_

"Lemme finish, christ! I just want to say sorry, even if ya don't care," he scoffed. Piper looked back at him tiredly. Sure, it ground at her pride a bit that she'd been caught so easily, and by this foolhardy-seeming man no less. But she knew he hadn't had bad intentions, and in honesty, she hadn't really thought much of Epps since her capture. She sighed.

"It isn't your fault," she told him then. "You're not to blame for any of this."

Epps felt her silent implication, and he couldn't help but want to refute it.

"...girly, neither are _they._ "

She immediately bristled.

"Don't call me girly. And you don't know shit."

Epps wanted to groan, they were back to square one and she seemed ready to close the door again.

"Look, even _they_ feel bad for what happened. The Autobots would never hurt you," he reasoned. But Piper wasn't having it.

"Yeah? Wow! Thanks for letting me know. In that case, we should all just become besties. Big happy fucking family. That _definitely_ seems like something I want."

"Okay, but if you'd just give them a chance-"

"So they can, what? Keep me captive? Because that is such a new development. _Bravo_ , beating my expectations already," she hissed, lowering her head and lightly clapping her hands.

 _Christ, this chick._

"I know, I _know_ you'd rather be home. I _understand_ ," Epps continued. "I do. But trust me, you're in good hands. The Autobots are good dudes, they're not gonna let anything happen to you. And if you ask me, I'd tell you that they make some pretty badass allies if you decided to put your trust in 'em."

Piper gave a heavy sigh. He wasn't giving up. "I have no interest in putting my trust anywhere _near_ their kind, much less allying with them. I will do what I have to to leave this place and get home, resume my life. But that's _it_ , that's all, the bare necessities and I'm out. The less I have to interact with them while I'm here, the better," she snapped, scowl on her face.

There was a pause then as Epps tried to figure out how to respond. He knew it was probably fair. That was probably enough, and he should stop pushing. But still...

 _If she could just see what we see, then-_

"...The Decepticons are enemies to us all," he continued quietly. "I've see a lot of good men and women die in this war with them, soldiers and civilians alike. But the Autobots have lost too many of their own as well - and I mean, not to mention their _whole planet..._ to this war, and fuck, they blame _themselves_ for bringing the war here, when all they want is peace. C'mon… there's no way you haven't seen _any_ differences between them…?" he prompted.

Irritation was making it's way through Piper, and she wanted to lash out at Epps, tell him just where he could shove this whole war that had nothing to do with her. After all, why should she have to feel bad about all that shit? They were _right_ to feel guilty. So many innocent lives, torn away... including her own, _almost_. And where had the Autobots been?

It wasn't fair that Epps was asking her to consider them, when the injustice of her own situation was still so...so _raw_ , so relevent. She hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't want to feel guilt.

 _She didn't want to feel anything_.

And yet, she was still just standing there, looking at Epps and unable to say anything. Just as quickly as the anger had consumed her, it was already gone, and she was left feeling suddenly exhausted. Deflated. And it was as if her mind was running without her control, because she couldn't help but recall the face of the Autobot leader as he spoke to her, apologizing...and then, the red bot, Sideswipe, from the night before and - and - whatever that was with him. Not an apology. Not exactly. And it was all -

Just so _exhausting -_

Epps's mind seemed to have gone a similar direction, because his next words startled Piper from her thoughts.

"...yeah, I guess Sideswipe didn't make the best first impression… I mean, Optimus at least apologized, but Sideswipe...he's a prideful ass for sure. He and his bro are new to Earth and don't really talk much. He probably won't apologize to ya, but… they're not bad, either, really," he said, and then a realization seemed to hit him. "And, now that I think of it, it was actually Sideswipe who told me I made a mistake, in the way we brought you in. He said what we did was cruel. I hadn't thought like that before," He rambled on awkwardly. But her eyes were locked on him as she listened, so he continued. "What I'm tryin' to say is, even the Autobots feel bad about it all, so at the very least, even if you don't like me, don't blame 'em - it was my idea. I'm sorry." Epps put his hands up in defeat, bowing his head a bit apologetically.

"...That robot said something like that?"

Epps's eyes shot up at her voice, and he was met with a dark pair of her own which were watching him with a strange sort of curiousity he couldn't really understand. But that was better than a glare, and - and it seemed like something about it had gotten her attention. He tried to think of more to say about the exchange, but not much more had been said.

"Yeah," he responded automatically, startled. Then, with a bit more exuberance, he started again. "Yeah, the guy _really_ let us hear it. We were all surprised, like, the fuck? Those twins don't hardly ever talk to anyone but eachother, ya know," he babbled, trailing off with some nervous laughter.

He'd been encouraged by her apparent interest, but the silence fell upon them again as they stood for a few more moments, and the girl in front of Epps seemed to be lost in her own musings as he watched her face go from incredulous to frustrated.

"...Well, give it some thought, alright? That's all I'm askin'. We're all on the same side here," he told her.

"Right. Same side. _Right_." She answered robotically, averting her eyes and shifting in discomfort. He couldn't peg if it was sarcasm he heard, or if she just wasn't paying attention to him any more.

There was more awkward silence after that, and Epps vaguely wondered if he'd gotten through to her on some level. It didn't seem like she had it in her to snap at him again, which he was relieved for. Her earlier responses in comparison had been so enflamed, so immediate, and kind of...

 _...defensive_. The word wandered into his head despite himself.

He had no intention of voicing the thought, however, so it seemed like neither had anything else to say. He decided to excuse himself gracefully and quit while he was ahead.

"Well...I'm gonna hit the hay. You have a good night," he told her. She glanced up.

"Night," she responded, feeling a small relief come over her at the hope of putting an end to the encounter. She saw him smile a bit as she closed the door, and then listened until she heard his steps making their way away from her and down the hall.

Left alone, she sighed, sinking down onto her bed once more and wrapping the blanket securely around her. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, exhaling deeply.

 _That_ had been unexpected, and not just a little uncomfortable. If it were up to her, she'd rather just give her story and pretend like there weren't any Cybertronians on this base at all, never having to acknowledge their presence.

 _Except I can't fucking do_ _ **that**_ _much,_ she thought with a scowl. _Pathetic, pathetic…_

But suddenly she heard a different voice separate from her own in her mind.

" _You are not pathetic,"_ it said quietly. Her eyes opened as she recalled her odd encounter with the red bot and the forced, uncomfortable way he'd said the words, and the hold she had on the the edge of her blanket immediately tightened.

She attempted to banish the replay of that memory from her mind, even as her more recent conversation with Epps came back to her.

 _Stop it Piper. It's no use to have a change of opinion. I have no intention of involving myself with them any more. If I can just finish telling them what happened, I can go back to my life - never see them again. Out of sight, out of mind,_ she thought, not for the first time.

But the thought of being back in that seat, in that little room, with the cameras and Lennox looking at her with that expression... surely, there had to be a way to make it all easier. She felt her stomach tighten into a ball just thinking about trying again.

Setting the blanket aside, she moved onto the wooden desk chair and opened a drawer in front of her to see if there was something she could use. A pen and an industrial pad of paper sat alone inside, and she pulled them out with a sigh.

 _They've really thought of everything_.

Pulling the cap off, she set the pen to the paper and then paused, trying to remember where she'd left off. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she began to write where she had stopped in her debriefing. _Barricade's quarters…_

* * *

"Congratulations. Looks like you won't be dying in the mine, after all," Barricade's voice came from behind her and she turned away from the wavy view of the outside to look at him. There was no expression in his voice, no sneer or smirk on his face. Piper did not respond, too afraid to speak. She was sure that whatever he had planned for her by bringing her here would happen whether she questioned it or not.

He watched her passively. The decision, at first, had been difficult - he had had no desire to interact directly with the humans after their initial capture, have a human in his quarters, and much less to have one touching him. But the femme had proven herself to be both stubborn and compliant in all the right ways, forcibly refusing to die through complete obedience.

He hadn't thought about taking the fleshling as his own personal servant, in truth, until he had seen the usefulness of Starscream's - but he hated the thought of Starscream believing he was copying him.

However, her success in his repair earlier had led him to a snap decision.

 _After all,_ he thought, _if I don't like her, I can dismiss her immediately._

Still, he watched without enthusiasm as the organic peered around his quarters, her face a strained, expressionless mask of controlled fear and confusion. Barricade vented, feeling tired already.

"If you have questions, ask them now," he snapped. The human looked back at him blankly. It seemed that she had no idea where even to begin, and was, most likely, too terrified even to speak.

But Barricade wasn't exactly an expert at these things, either. _He_ barely even knew what he wanted from the human, other than to have her there if he needed her - after all, he'd rather rely on a human than Starscream if push came to shove.

 _But even then, her uses are limited unless she's trained. What does Starscream have his servant do for him, if not repairs…?_ Barricade wondered, but halted the thought in annoyance and deleted it from his processor. He was _not_ going to copy Starscream.

"...Why am I here?"

The quiet voice broke him from his thoughts, and he looked down at the human sharply. She was looking up at him with her dark, organic eyes.

 _Of course that is what it wants to know._

"You are my servant now. Your job will be to do whatever I tell you," he said plainly, no other ideas miraculously coming to mind.

But she seemed to ponder his answer for a few moments, observing the space again before asking another question.

"Will I stay here?" She asked, gesturing to the room. Barricade swept his gaze over the room, realization setting in.

 _Ah, I seem to have overlooked a few things. No matter,_ he thought.

"These are my quarters. You will not leave them unless I take you from here myself. Is that understood?" He asked. The human nodded. "I will set up a space for you-" he paused to consider for a moment, then. _What do humans need?_ he wondered. Glancing out the viewing portal above his berth, he saw a stream of the the planet's most abundant element, water, and knew it would likely be the most necessary thing.

"-here, then," he finished, and she flinched as his servo came down around her. He lifted her to the the viewing portal, where the force field shivered before her. Setting her on the ledge in front of it, he cleared the surface of any stray items he'd abandoned there (a few data pads and an empty Energon cube) in order to begin making a space for the human.

"You may leave through the force field only when necessary, and can go no further than that stream. Clean yourself, do what you must and then return swiftly. I want no part in your human activities otherwise. But be warned, If I have to come retrieve you, you will not be returning alive," he told her seriously. "I do not need a servant who tries to run. I'll find a new one."

Piper nodded dismally.

The first week went by fairly uneventfully, except on the second night where Barricade caught her watching him while she thought he was sleeping.

"My sensors are much more keen than your own. I dare you to try and get down here without alerting me, even while I'm in recharge," he'd told her, the threat evident in his tone.

Piper hadn't known what she wanted to do while watching him. She'd considered trying to pull out some wires near his throat area, but worried it wouldn't have a fatal effect like it did on humans and would just piss him off. And she'd also considered climbing down and over him to try and escape from the other side of the room, but even if she could get past him and then get the door out of his quarters open, she would be lost within the ship and likely found by another. Her easiest route might have been escaping outside while he was in recharge, except that sometime during the first week Barricade had installed a barrier limiting her access only to the stream, so that direction was a no-go as well.

Still, it was hard not to be unnerved while trying to sleep only a number of feet above Barricade's head. And since he did not need to recharge on a daily cycle like she did, his irregular sleep patterns made it hard for her to get used to. Piper took to sleeping while he was away or even standing at his workbench across the room if she was desperate. She never slept well while he decided to recharge so close to her.

At the end of her first week in his quarters was the first time he called on her.

He'd wandered into his quarters in a foul mood, muttering about Blackout 'always wandering off' and standing at his workbench. He was fiddling with his wrist, trying to dig the fingers into it with his other "hand", and Piper wondered if he was injured again as she peered at the scorch marks that reached his shoulder.

As if sensing her stare, he turned and locked gazes with her, and his scowl deepened. Piper quickly averted her gaze.

But his voice called her attention again a few moments later.

"...Human," he called. When she turned back, his face was contemplative. Meeting her gaze and seeing the look of anticipation there, he made up his mind. He walked to stand in front of his birth before saying, "come here."

Immediately, Piper dropped her legs over the side of the ledge and hopped down onto the berth, wincing as her feet made contact with the hard surface. She made her way quickly to him then, and he waited without comment.

It was only when she got close that she noticed the extent of the damage.

It would have been a gruesome sight, had he been human - but the sight of his blackened hand with the two missing fingers while the others hung limply, scorch marks running up over his wrist arm, left Piper feeling curious.

"I have received damage to my servo, which must be taken care of at once. You will help me repair it," he demanded.

Her eyes widened as she took in what he said, and then moved over his hand. Confusion and fear overwhelmed her as she looked at it doubtfully.

"I will instruct you," he continued. "Just do as you're told."

Piper had been nervous as she began slowly looking over the damaged appendage more carefully, but gradually, she began to recognize certain parts. The workings of his hand were not nearly as foreign to her as she imagined, and curiosity tinted her fear. Barricade had been giving her instructions for awhile as she worked, watching her as she closely followed along. He flinched every now and then as she pulled out damaged wiring, and at first she had violently recoiled, fearing that he would immediately kill her. But his face appeared set in a grim look of determination, as if he were bracing himself, and it seemed that his discomfort was necessary and even expected as repairs were being done. She vaguely wondered if there were some form of numbing agent like morphine for robots.

 _But then, he probably knows what I'm doing by what he feels. Maybe he can't afford to numb the pain._

"Watch it, human!" He snapped as she pushed a warped piece of metal back into place. She flinched again before continuing.

 _...or maybe he's just stubborn_.

After a time, Barricade lifted his servo away from the girl, examining it. She had done surprisingly well at removing all the damaged bits while leaving intact what could be spared. What needed to be replaced was then clear to him now that the "injury" was clean, and Barricade found himself perplexed at how little he'd needed to clarify or repeat himself. He glanced down at the girl, who wasn't looking at him. Instead, she rubbed her hands - which appeared red and irritated. It occurred to him again how weak and soft humans were, how ephemeral their lives were. Expendable, short-lived creatures even on their own planet, even in the best of circumstances. He scoffed.

Wiring and circuitry sat in a small pile next to her, and he used the damaged appendage to scrape them into his free servo. She looked up at him then, watching curiously, but Barricade ignored the question in her eyes as he turned back to his workbench and placed them into a large metal box that sat to one side of the surface, fused with the wall behind it. A large ventilation pipe extended from it, trailing up the wall and into the ceiling above them.

Wiggling his remaining fingers on the damaged appendage, he cringed as he re-assessed them. He wondered if it wouldn't be worth it to scrap them all, reform and then reattach them. But tearing them off didn't sound appealing just then, so he decided to leave them for the moment and repair the wrist first.

With the damaged bits of his wrist in the box, the scrap was compressed, superheated and then melted until finally pooling in a disc-shaped mold in a tray beneath the box. The machine would sort the metals as they melted at different temperatures, and each mineral and element would be in it's purest form by the time it was reformed. He would then be be able to use it for his own repairs, creating more wiring and casing that could be re-fashioned and used again in his body. It was a more rudimentary means of repair than what he'd been used to on Cybertron, but it served its purpose. He glanced at his damaged servo again with a scowl.

 _Though it would be a lot easier if I had a medic's programming and versatile digits,_ he vented. His fingers could not repair such small damage, and he'd be slagged if he was about to ask Starscream. Blackout wasn't much better, though it was a more positive alternative than working on oneself.

Barricade's digits worked decidedly better on machinery than in the delicate wiring that ran throughout their bodies. And though he'd always been a warrior, in the long pauses between the times they'd battle the Autobots, during the many vorns of space travel as they pursued them, he had found he had a knack for inventing weaponry - which is what he now did in his free time. And it was an invention that had got him into this mess in the first place, malfunctioning and backfiring on his servo as he messed with it.

He vented again. He wasn't about to tell the human that.

* * *

With a shudder, Piper lifted her eyes to the walls of the room, suddenly feeling extremely claustrophobic. Dropping the pen, she went to the bed to lay down in case she was about to have an attack.

 _Couldn't even finish, shit,_ she thought with scowl. She's have to try again tomorrow.

Piper was suddenly grateful she had not had anything to eat since lunch. However, even as she stretched her body, the room only felt more constricting.

 _Damn it all,_ and she was out of her bed in an instant, turning toward the door. _Always at night._ She needed a change of scenery soon, or she felt like she'd lose it again.

 _Where to go, though?_ She wondered, stopping again. _You've already been found there once,_ her inner voice said. _Do you really want to go back?_

Pausing at the door, Piper shook her head. _No,_ she thought, _it's already been confirmed that I can't escape from there. He won't go back to check again._ She placed her hand on the door handle and tried to hold on to that hope.

Despite the skepticism that still nagged at the back of her mind, she yanked the door open with more force than necessary and swept into the hall. _This is something I need for myself. I won't not go just because I was found._

With renewed determination, she made her way swiftly and quietly down the human-sized halls toward the mess hall once more, seeing no sign of movement around her as she did so. The shared corridor was vacant as she entered, and reaching the doors, she let her hand rest on the handle for a moment longer than she normally might have before gritting her teeth and giving it a gentle push - opening it just enough to peer inside.

Relief flooded through her when she found the room wonderfully empty, the only light illuminating the space being the mix of natural and artificial light filtering through the large window.

Making her way to the closet after closing the doors behind her, she once again removed the step ladder and took her time climbing to her perch, wincing at each creak and scrape of the cafeteria furniture as she maneuvered it around.

Finally settled, she took in the sight of the night sky, releasing a long and ragged breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Yes, Piper had needed this - the feeling of being in a space that did not represent confinement, even if it was only an inaccessible image of the outside she could rest her eyes on.

Heartbeat slowing, her mind wandered back to her debrief, and she cringed for about the thousandth time since it happened. She wanted to tell them what she knew and leave this place - really. However, the thought of a repeat of the humiliating experience made her want to hide in her assigned room and never come out. She wanted to believe it was a one-time thing, but she couldn't help the feeling that it wasn't. That she had some psychological issues and post traumatic stress that ran deeper than her panic attacks, deeper than she had previously assumed.

She didn't _feel_ like she was blocking memories, like it should be too terribly difficult to talk about - sure, she hadn't really wanted to go into...certain things, but it shouldn't have been _impossible_. She recalled everything, as far as she knew. The screams, the faces, their suffering, deaths, all of them… even Megatron… she'd rationalized and rationalized, all of it, _everything_. And she'd been caught completely off guard when her voice had failed her while recounting the events she thought she'd at least be able to mention.

What was it that was causing her to express so much latent trauma, such violent stress responses? What was it about her time with the 'cons that was causing her so much grief, if she really _was_ able to handle it all all as well as she thought she could?

 _Yes_ she felt guilt, guilt that sometimes tore at her insides. But it was all very… _understandable_ , and she didn't even have it in her to regret what had happened. She'd make the same decisions again if she had to, she was sure - the decision to leave behind those who were too frightened to escape, despite all of their attempts at convincing them… the decision to leave behind the stragglers who _did_ come with them, even. To leave behind Al, who'd howled and _screamed_...

Shaking her head, she tried to clear the thoughts from her mind and focus on the sky, but another distraction posed itself before her, drawing her eyes back to the base outside. A car was driving in, it's headlights coming toward her in the distance.

 _This late?_ she wondered.

She watched it come closer through the darkness, soon reaching the dim radius of the base lights at a fast pace. Her eyes widened as she took in the colorful sports car, the flashy yellow camaro as it sped by. Two others followed, a sleek silver Pontiac Solstice and a red Ferrari, their headlights flashing over her face as she scrambled backwards and off the window sill, landing on her feet atop the table.

 _Those are Cybertronians,_ she thought, panicked. _Did they see me…?_

Creeping back onto the footstool, she peeked her face over the sill to look outside again. No others seemed to be following, and all was still outside once more. She was about to give a sigh of relief when the whole building rattled, and she let go of the ledge in alarm.

 _The hangar doors are opening for them._ The mess hall being connected to the hangar, the sound shook the whole room as the gigantic hangar doors opened. The new bots were entering the building.

Jumping lightly from the table top, Piper made her way quickly to the exit, but she froze as she heard voices outside - tinged with the familiar metallic edge Cybertronian voices always had. The voices were in the shared corridor, and Piper considered how quickly she could make it through it and into the shelter of the human-sized hall before being spotted.

Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on the door, pulling it open as quietly as possible and peaking into the space beyond. Two figures were above her, and glancing up, both sets of optics were already looking down at her. Piper gazed back for a moment before quietly closing the door.

 _Fuck._

Before she could even begin to wonder how someone as careless as her had managed to escape from the Decepticon base, harshly berating herself, the large doors were sliding open with a _whoosh_ , and her form froze as the two entered.

"Hey, that's no way to greet us, little lady. Could'ah least said hello," the small silver one said as he entered, and Piper backed toward the door in a panic. The yellow one spoke next.

"You know this area is closed at night. A soldier should know better than to wander around after curfew," he lightly scolded her, tilting his head to the side as he watched her.

 _They don't know who I am,_ she realized. Briefly then did she remembered she was wearing army fatigues.

"Kinda a scrawny one, ain't she?" the other remarked. The yellow one shuttered his optics, and Piper swallowed. She felt compelled to speak before they made any deductions, and she cleared her throat.

"Yeah, you're right I shouldn't have come. Sorry. I'll just leave now," she tried, hoping to avoid any further confrontation.

"Wait," The yellow bot interjected, his optics trained on her. "Your name first, please," he requested, his voice firm but not menacing. Yet.

 _Shit_. The last thing she wanted was for her nightly outings to be reported… it'd be better if they thought she was just some soldier. The two exchanged glances as they waited, and Piper eyed the door, considering her options. Her decision was made when the yellow one reached an arm out toward her as if to grab her. She made a break for the hall then, darting into the corridor as fast as her legs would carry her. She punched through it at full speed.

"Hey, come back-!" He shouted, starting for the door after her.

Even running toward the human hall as fast as she could, his long legs counted one for every ten of her strides, and he blocked her exit with a ped and reached for her again. "Why are you running? That's not suspicious or anything," she heard him say, and his servo caught her form gently - but _too_ gently. She wriggled free and slipped from his grasp, and in his alarm he closed digits further, ending up managing a firm hold on one of her legs. She screeched.

"Let go...!" She shouted, and he quickly let go in fear that he'd hurt her. Piper took off again, doubling back toward the mess hall even as she knew it was futile.

Dodging around his hands and zig-zagging back and forth, she burst back through the doors, finding the silver mech in the same position as before with a bewildered, if not somewhat amused, look on his faceplates. But when the yellow bot dashed back in after her, he doubled over in laughter.

"Bee, what's up? I thought you went out there to catch this one," he snickered, holding his knees. Bee shot him a glare, not finding the humor.

"Shut up! This one's a slippery one," he said, trying to herd her away from the doors.

"Looks like she really doesn't like you, man," he chortled. The silver bot looked absolutely entertained even as the yellow one's frustration grew. "Reminds me of the time you tried to get Sam to show ya what he was reading from that magazine. I'd never _seen_ the boy move so quickly."

"Don't think this is the same thing," the other retorted, but the conversation was going over Piper's head.

She found herself in a corner and cursed. Spinning around, she faced the mech with her hands in front of her.

"Back the _fuck_ off," she snarled in her last ditch attempt at avoidance. The yellow bot immediately recoiled a bit, startled by her tone.

"Oh shit, that miss is angry. What'd you do bro?" The other mech was laughing again, but the yellow one stared her down with a confused expression.

Piper braced herself as he once again reached for her, feeling every nerve in her body scream in denial.

The screeching of tires filled the air however, and the mech reaching for her froze as the doors opened with a _hiss_ and another bot skidded into the space at full speed. A voice filled the air then.

"The _frag_ are you doing?" Looking up, her eyes met with the optics of Sideswipe, who appeared to have come in a hurry.

"Found this one running loose in here, saw her from outside. Soldiers are not supposed to be here after hours," the bot before her argued, pointing a large finger her way.

Sideswipe sped forward, getting between her and the slightly smaller mech. "You didn't see her here, you understand?" he said quietly, though the seriousness in his tone made it sound like a command. He held out one large metal finger as if to enforce his point.

"What...?" the other asked confusedly.

"Who's the lady, Sides?" The silver one piped up then, his laughter finally subsiding as he took in the strained look on his comrade's face.

"She's not a soldier. She can come here. But you _didn't see her_. Alright?" He persisted.

"Alright man, alright. But you'd better explain a thing or two," the silver mech continued.

"Yeah. Like why she's so freaked," the yellow one said.

"No thanks to you," Sideswipe snapped back.

"Nah dude, don't think it's just Bee who's got her freaked," the silver one interjected, peering around the two. "If she were happy to see you, I don't think she'd be hiding in that closet," he added.

Sideswipe turned back just in time to see the closet door snap shut. His optics widened in surprise, and then he vented in defeat.

 _Slag._

* * *

 **So, you probably already understand this but I feel it's important to mention - I write flashbacks in 3rd person, despite them being Piper's 1st person (of course) recollections. I do that for the audience's benefit. Therefore, I'm gonna hope you all recognize that things like Barricade's thoughts are not being conveyed in Piper's testimony. That isn't something Piper knows, it's just ME telling YOU. So yeah. Go with it.**

 **Again, sorry for the slow update, but the next one might also take me awhile...** **I'm finally catching up with myself, and it only gets more tedious the more I write...after all, I have to be consistant at this point, I want to make as few edits as possible to chapters already posted (but that doesn't mean there won't be, erg, always mistakes that escape me and ideas that come to me later on...). On that note, here's a quote I heard in one of my classes recently.**

 **"A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people." -Thomas Mann**

 **Thank you for reading, and as always, I hope your recent endeavors are all fulfilling and rewarding...be it school or work or whatever occupies your time.**

 **-PK**


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